Fusarium in Tulips: Ethylene, Gum, and Aborted Flowers

Tulip forcing in 2002 was difficult. In many greenhouses, tulip crops were uneven, and overall, very short. Upon flowering, many pots had one or more stems with blind shoots, where the bud may have been aborted at a relatively late stage (perhaps when it was 1/2” long), or at a much earlier stage, where only a blackened stump and tiny remnants of a very small flower were present (Figure 1). In either case, the value of the product was severely compromised. These kinds of problems were seen in both pot and cut crops, and in landscape plantings as well. A major culprit in all these problems is Fusarium, an important disease in many bulb crops, but one that poses special problems for tulips.