The Role of Leaves in the Induction of Dormancy of Gladiolus Corm

Abstract

1. The weight of corms from plants of which the leaf bases had been wrapped with aluminium foil from the sprouting stage or the three-leaf stage was found to be significantly heavier than that of control corms.
The difference in weight was maintained up to the end of plant growth. On the other hand, when the sheath leaf was removed, the weight of corms significantly decreased.
2. A significantly earlier sprouting was observed in corms from plants grown with shading at the leaf base, and corms from plants, from which sheath leaves had been removed, grown with shading at the base of the leaf showed a similar sprouting trend.
On the contrary, sprouting of corms from plants of which the sheath leaves had been removed, was delayed, as it was in control corms.
3. The amounts of inhibitors, at Rf valued 0.5-0.8 on paper chromatograms developed with isopropanol ammonium: water (10:1:1v/v), did not decrease in corms from plants without sheath leaves.
On the other hand, shading of the leaf bases resulted in a decrease of inhibitor at Rf 0.5-0.8.
4. The extract from leaf bases sampled a week after the shading treatment at the leaf base showed a smaller amount of inhibitors, at Rf 0.5-0.8.