CHIPPING OF NARCISSUS BULBS: A QUICK WAY TO OBTAIN LARGE NUMBERS OF SMALL, ROUND BULBS.

In the Netherlands the traditional culture of narcissus yields big bulbs, variable in size, and with various numbers of noses and flowers.
Mechanising the handling of these voluminous, irregular and heavy bulbs is difficult.
The bulbs yield a low number of flowers per ton and transport costs are relatively high.
The trade increasingly asks for small round bulbs.

Multiplication of narcissus under natural conditions is very slow.
Not every cultivar will double in numbers and weight every year.
Introduction of new cultivars and bulking up a new stock after selection takes 15/25 years, which is not a good incentive for growers.

For both of these problems chipping can offer a solution, for it is an easy way of multiplication resulting in a large number of often single-nosed bulbs in a short time.

In the Netherlands there are a few growers who chip on a large scale and a lot more who chip on a small scale to obtain some experience with the method and with their cultivars.

In this paper, the Dutch way of chipping is described together with some results from Dutch research.

IV International Symposium on Flower Bulbs

P.J.M. Vreeburg

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.1986.177.95