EFFECT OF PLANTING DEPTH ON GROWTH AND FLOWERING OF ORNITHOGALUM SAUNDERSIAE BAK

Bulbs of O. saundersiae were planted at 5, 10, 15 and 20 cm depth. At commercial flower harvest stage, bulbs planted at 5 cm had the tallest plants measuring 45.2 cm while bulbs planted at 20 cm had the shortest plants measuring 37.6 cm. The average number of shoots, visible leaves per bulb as well as the length of inflorescence decreased with increasing planting depth. The inflorescence average length at 5, 10, 15 and 20 cm was 85, 80, 77 and 64 cm, respectively. Days to commercial flower harvest increased as the planting depth increased. Bulbs planted at 5, 10, 15 and 20 cm reached flower harvest stage 119, 131, 125 and 138 days after planting, respectively. At full plant maturity the average number of daughter bulbs, their sizes and the total number of nodes per bulb generally decreased with increasing planting depth. Planting depth had no significant effect on number of florets and diameter of inflorescence. The best growth and flowering performance was observed in bulbs that were shallowly planted (at 5 cm). Deep planting, at 20 cm, adversely affected the growth and flowering of O. saundersiae bulbs.

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