Bulb Formation in the Shallot

Abstract

As a medium for studying the process of bulb formation, the shallot has certain advantages. It is normally grown from sets, and provided a suitable non-flowering strain is chosen any possible confusion between the effects of treatments used on flowering and bulbing is avoided. In our experiments shallot bulbs of two sizes (medium, mean weight 10·59 gm., and small, mean weight 3·12 gm.) were subjected to the following storage treatments during the winter preceding planting : (A) ordinary (laboratory) storage ; (B) low temperature (0–4°) storage ; (C) high (88 days at 30°) followed by ordinary temperature ; (D) low (88 days at 0–4°), followed by ordinary temperature ; (E) ordinary (88 days), followed by low temperature (71 days at 0–4° C).