The germination, growth, and flowering of Cyclamen persicum Mill

Abstract

Expensive cyclamen seed are not germinated at optimum levels on a routine basis. The aim was to investigate several simple seed pretreatments intended to improve percentage, speed, and uniformity of germination. The objective of the nutritional trials was twofold. It was intended to carry out experiments to determine the influence of N, P, K fertilisation and Liming and obtain response surfaces for the interactions between any pair of nutrients on growth of Cyclamen persicum in conditions similar to common New Zealand nursery practise. In conjunction with this it was hoped to extend by using trials of appropriate design, the standardised comparitive nutrition information already produced for several other species by Thomas (1979), Khoo (1979), Teoh (1979). The growth regulator trials were intended to determine the value of gibberellin advancement of flowering for New Zealand conditions including the influence of time of treatment and interactions between gibberellic acid and various growth retardants with a particular view to controlling the bad side effects sometimes occurring as a result of GA treatment.