The levels and relative proportions of hormones in flower bulbs may offer indications of quality before a flower has formed. In a joint project, PPO and the Laboratory of Plant Physiology, both of which are part of Wageningen UR, are developing a method for extracting and identifying plant hormones in flower bulbs.
Just as in humans and other animals, the development of plants is controlled by hormones. The bulb and bulb flower grower influences the development of the bulb and the flower primarily by means of temperature treatments during the flower bulbs’ storage phase. The bulb detects the temperature changes and translates those stimuli into internal changes in the hormonal levels, which in turn result in earlier or later flowering, longer or shorter flowers, the production of more or fewer daughter bulbs, etc.
Measuring the levels and relative proportions of hormones gives information about the regulation of these sorts of processes, and may offer indications of the quality of flower bulbs before they have produced flowers. In their joint project, PPO’s flower bulb research and the Laboratory for Plant Physiology are developing a method to extract and identify plant hormones in flower bulbs.
It is already possible to measure the levels of two types of plant hormones, the auxins and abscisic acid (including their degradation products and stored forms), in samples of lily and tulip bulbs. The method for measuring three other types of hormones – gibberellins, cytokinins, and strigolactones – is currently being further refined. In order to study a possible correlation between hormonal levels and flower production, the hormonal levels are being measured in different groups of lily bulbs for which is known that they develop different numbers of buds per stem after being planted in the greenhouse. Variations in hormonal levels among the different strains of lily have been detected, but as yet no correlation has been found between hormones and flowering.
It may be possible to establish a correlation once the hormonal measurements have been refined.In the remaining months of 2010, a correlation between hormonal levels and flower quality will also be sought for tulip bulbs which have been treated such that they differ in final flower quality.
Source: www.syscope.nl