Articles
PERFORMANCE TRIALS ON VARIETIES OF BULBS
Such characteristics all have their effect on many aspects of bulb and flower production such as harvest certainly, quality, production cost and spreading of crops.
Especially for those crops in which every year a great number of new varieties is introduced, it is difficult for the user to obtain enough information to judge the value of these varieties.
In that case, research in an early stage of reproduction of new cultivars is necessary to determine the value of these cultivars and to distribute this information.
This will also contribute in making good varieties better known, while on the other hand varieties with little prospect are sooner identified which makes it possible to stop unnecessarily loss of capital by investing in these varieties.
The average number of varieties registered yearly for the crops now investigated by the Bulb Research Centre is: tulip 52, gladiolus 48, daffodil 18 and lily 31.
The performance trials on cultural value and usage has two aspects: bulb production and flower production.
It is carried out in a number of stages:
- first evaluation of flower production.
Breeders are asked to submit saleable bulbs of new varieties for research.
In cooperation with a committee the quality of cut flowers, grown under non-critical culturing conditions is judged.
The keeping quality is included in this.
For tulip and daffodil the optimum cold period is determined for standard forcing in flats.
- second evaluation of flower production.
Varieties which qualify in the first evaluation are planted for the second evaluation when enough bulbs are available.
In this second evaluation attention is paid to the influence of different planting and flowering periods on harvest results, so as to determine the value for use over the whole forcing period. - evaluation of bulb production.
At about the same time as the second evaluation of flower production, the varieties are tested for bulb production.
Attention is paid to the production of saleable bulbs, daughter bulbs and growth characteristics such as flowering, harvest time a.o.
Results of this comparative research is published yearly, and will be summarized in official listings of the Government Institute for Research on Varieties of Cultivated Plants.