STORAGE STUDIES ON GLADIOLUS CORMS

The present investigation was carried out at Laboratory, Department of Floriculture and landscaping, Dr. Panjabrao Deshmukh Krishi Vidyapeeth, Akola during the year 2023.Experiment was laid out in Factorial Randomized Block Design (FRBD) with two factors Factor 'A' four storage structures viz., Wooden box, Thermacol box, Corruagated box and Earthen pot and Factor 'B' five storage media viz., Rice husk, Sand, Cocopeat, Saw dust and Without media.Various corm parameters of gladiolus were measured before storage to calculate parameters after storage period.Amongst all the treatments.The storage of gladiolus corms highlights the superior performance of earthen pots as storage structure and rice husk as storage media.Earthen pots (S 4 ) emerged as the most effective structure, achieving the highest final corm diameter at 4.88 cm and the lowest reduction rate of 9.12%.Similarly, rice husk (M 1 ) as a storage medium yielded comparable result with a maximum final diameter of 4.88 cm, also minimizing diameter reduction.The combination of earthen pot and rice husk (S 4 M 1 ) further amplified these benefits, with corms reaching an impressive final diameter of 4.94 cm.In terms of corm weight, earthen pots recorded the highest final weight of 21.05 g and the lowest physiological weight loss at 36.03%.Rice husk showed similar efficacy, reaching a final weight of 21.22 g with the lowest weight loss at 35.53%.The combination of earthen pot and rice husk (S 4 M 1 ) achieved the maximum weight at 21.47 g, effectively reducing weight loss and enhancing overall corm quality.Rotting rates were notably minimized, with earthen pots recording the lowest at 34.00% and rice husk reducing rotting further to 25.50%.The S 4 M 1 combination excelled, achieving an exceptionally low rotting percentage of 15.00%, demonstrating superior preservation.Sprouting rates also peaked with the S 4 M 1 combination, reaching an impressive 85.00%, compared to 66.00% in earthen pots and 74.50% in rice husk alone.Additionally, corms stored in earthen pots required the longest time to sprout, averaging 128.50 days, with rice husk extending this period to 136.50 days.The S 4 M 1 combination achieved a maximum sprouting delay of 139.00 days, providing growers flexibility in planting schedules.These findings underscore the effectiveness of earthen pots and rice husk as a combined storage solution, enhancing corm preservation, quality, and sprouting control, ultimately offering an economical and efficient storage strategy for gladiolus growers.