ASSESSMENT OF TUBER STORAGE AND SPROUTING TREATMENTS FOR SANDERSONIA-AURANTIACA

Temperatures of 3-5-degrees-C were suitable for the long-term storage of sandersonia tubers. Tubers sprouted during storage at 10-degrees-C, but no sprouting occurred with up to 202 days of storage at 3-5-degre es-C. Tuber viability and subsequent sprouting were less after storage at 1-degrees-C than following 3-5-degrees-C storage temperatures. Spr outing temperatures of 20-26-degrees-C gave high sprouting percentages following long-term storage. Tubers failed to sprout at 35-degrees-C and sprouting percentages were lower at 30-degrees-C than 20-25-degree s-C following longer storage durations (>60 days). Storage duration, s torage temperatures, and sprouting temperatures influenced the time fr om storage removal to sprouting, storage removal to stem harvest, stem size, and daughter tuber weight. Stem length declined with increasing storage duration of 110-171 days, but was slightly greater after 202 days of storage than after 171 days. Possible reasons for these plant responses are outlined. Daughter tuber weight declined with storage du ration and was less following a sprouting temperature of 20-degrees-C than 23-26-degrees-C.