Abstract
The effect of the duration of an initial 32 °C and a subsequent 20 °C storage treatment on the performance of greenhouse-forced Ideal iris was investigated. Bulbs from several size categories and from several harvest dates were used with the goal of finding an optimal set of postharvest storage conditions for early forcing. Flowering percentage increased and the length of time required for glasshouse forcing decreased with longer storage (up to 5 wk) at 32 °C. With increasing duration of storage at 20 °C (up to 6 wk) the time required for glasshouse forcing decreased, whereas flowering percentage was influenced only slightly. A near optimal combination for early forcing of 10–11 cm circumference bulbs harvested after 1 Aug., was 4 wk of storage at 32 °C followed by 2 wk at 20 °C and 6 wk at 10 °C. The Dutch treatment for early forcing was unsatisfactory for use with Washington-grown bulbs.

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