Revealing the dynamics of cormel traits and rhizosphere growth in response to cormel priming and growing media in gladiolus

Abstract Gladiolus, known as the Queen of bulbous flowers, is popular for its long flower spikes used in cut flower arrangements. One of the main problems in its commercial production is the lack of good-quality planting material and the prolonged transition time it takes for small cormels to grow into flowering-size corms. This study was conducted to observe how different priming treatments and growing media affect the growth of cormels and roots in the gladiolus variety ‘Punjab Glad 3’. A factorial experiment using a Completely Randomized Design (CRD) was carried out with three priming chemicals (calcium nitrate, gibberellic acid and potassium nitrate) and water as the control, along with two types of growing media: sandy loam soil and cocopeat. The results showed that sandy loam soil supported better overall growth and cormel development, while cocopeat helped root growth by increasing the number and length of roots. Priming with 1% calcium nitrate increased cormel size and weight by 90.29% and 89.65%, respectively, compared to the control. Gibberellic acid at 200 ppm improved root number and length. Therefore, priming gladiolus cormels with 1% calcium nitrate and planting them in sandy loam soil led to better vegetative and cormel growth.