ISHS Acta Horticulturae 272: Symposium on Bedding and Pot Plant Culture
INFLUENCE OF LIGHT AND PHOTOPERIOD ON GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT OF GERBERA |
| Authors: | S. Gagnon, B. Dansereau |
| Abstract:
The influence of diverse photosynthetic photon fluxes (PPF) and photoperiods on the growth and development of Gerbera jamesonii 'Happipot' and 'Tempo' seedlings was evaluated during two experimental periods: fall-winter 1987, and winter-spring 1988. Supplementary lighting significantly increased the growth, development and flowering of both gerbera cultivars. The diverse PPF treatments (30, 60 and 90 μmol m-2s-1 for 16-hr photoperiod and 60 μmol m-2s-1 for 20-hr photoperiod) not only significantly increased vegetative growth and enhanced flowering but also shortened production time compared to plants grown under ambient light conditions (control). In both studies, a PPF of 90 μmol m-2s-1 (16-hr photoperiod) reduced production time by 23 days for 'Happipot' and 11 days for 'Tempo'. In the fall-winter experiment, this same treatment significantly increased plant growth and flowering. However, in the winter-spring study, the PPF of 60 μmol m-2s-1 (16-hr photoperiod) significantly increased the number of flowers. It should be noted that the differences observed between control plants (growth, flowering and quality) and those grown under the diverse PPF treatments were greater during the fall-winter study than during the winter-spring period. We believe this is due to the increased ambient light conditions which occurred during the second experiment. | |
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