Growth, Development, and Mineral Nutrient Accumulation and Distribution in Tulip from Planting through Postanthesis Shoot Senescence

Carl E Niedziela,David A Dickey,Paul V Nelson

doi:10.1155/2015/341287

Carl E Niedziela, David A Dickey + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1155/2015/341287

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Abstract

Tulips were grown under field conditions from mid-November through early-June. Plants were harvested and dissected into eight organs on twenty-one dates. These parts were dried, weighed, and analyzed for N, P, K, Ca, and Mg. A transition (as determined by curve join points) from a linear to a steep negative cubic response occurred prior to shoot emergence for N (82 days after planting (DAP)), at shoot emergence for K (93 DAP) and Ca (94 DAP), and after shoot emergence for Mg (102 DAP) and dry matter (118 DAP). A transition from a linear to a steeper linear response occurred at shoot emergence for P (93 DAP). Growth, organ development, and nutrient accumulation occurred continuously from planting to maturity (188 DAP), except for K which did not accumulate during the initial linear phase. Since the increase in accumulation of all five nutrients preceded the dry matter accumulation, these nutrients could be used as predictors in growth models. Practical implications from this study include the importance of maintaining soil Ca levels through liming and applying the N, P, and Mg as split applications with smaller rates at planting and larger rates at emergence. The entire K application may be applied at emergence.

Highlights

Garden tulips (Tulipa gesneriana L.) are geophytes that produce bulbs with an annual renewal and are composed of two to six concentric fleshy scales attached to a basal plate and enclosed in a tunic [1, 2]
This experiment was conducted at the North Carolina State University (NCSU) Horticulture Field Laboratory in Raleigh, NC (35∘ 47󸀠N latitude and 78∘ 42󸀠W longitude at an elevation of approximately 121.9 m above sea level), in a fine, kaolinitic, and thermic Typic Kanhapludult (Cecil series) soil
The maximum and minimum daily air temperatures and total daily precipitation measured at 2 m above ground level from planting through final harvest for Raleigh, NC, were provided by the State Climate Office of North Carolina, NCSU, Raleigh, NC (Figure 1)

Summary

Introduction

Garden tulips (Tulipa gesneriana L.) are geophytes that produce bulbs with an annual renewal and are composed of two to six concentric fleshy scales attached to a basal plate and enclosed in a tunic [1, 2]. Roots are produced on the surface of the basal plate. The tunic is a very thin, papery external scale. Buds located at the inner bases of the fleshy scales give rise to the organs of the mother plant. The apical bud gives rise to the aerial organs (leaves, scape, and flower) and the lateral buds give rise to daughter-bulbs. The H-bulb grows larger than some of the daughter-bulbs when food reserves from the outermost scale are transferred to this outermost bulb as the scale dries to become the tunic. A schematic of the replacement cycle is presented by De Hertogh et al [4]

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