Abstract
The effects of different nutrient regimes on the Lachenalia cvs ‘Romelia’ and ‘Namakwa’ were studied over two successive seasons. The basic formulation of the Commisie Glastuinbouw (1992), viz 0.37 g KNO3 + 0.36 g Ca(NO3)2 + 0.06 g MgS04 + 0.013 g (NH4)2S02 M water was tested at different concentrations. (0, 50%, 100%, 200%). Bulb yield and plant quality grown in silica sand were evaluated. Both cultivar and nutrition level had highly significant effects on yield (% mass increase of bulbs and bulb size) and quality (leaf length, inflorescence length and number of florets per inflorescence). The standard 100% treatment is recommended for production of bulbs during the bulb preparation phase as well as for pot plant production as the treatment resulted in the best overall results. The % mass increase of small bulbs (4 cm circumference) was notably higher than for large bulbs (6 cm). The effect of bulb size on the number of florets was also clear: Large bulbs formed more florets than small bulbs: The importance of nutrition in the previous season as well as the season when plants flower, on the number of florets per inflorescence, was shown. Results appear to indicate that the nutritional requirements of the two cultivars may be different and that large bulbs may require higher nutrient levels than small bulbs.
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