Gamma-irradiation of plant material in floriculture - results and problems

γ-Irradiation of gladiolus corms before warm storage in a three-year-experiment resulted in an average yield increase of flower stems of 17.2% (0.75 Gy). As essential for the yield improvement in the early culture of gladiolus in a glass-house environment is considered the high shoot formation capacity of the gladiolus variety used, ''Fruehrot'', high quality of the plant material (corms), the irradiation at an early stage of organogenesis, marked suboptimum conditions for growth and high planting thickness. (author)