ISHS Acta Horticulturae 559: V International Symposium on Protected Cultivation in Mild Winter Climates: Current Trends for Suistainable Technologies
EFFECT OF GREENHOUSE SHADING MATERIALS ON THE FOLIAR AREA AND FLOWERING OF TWO CYCLAMEN PERSICUM HYBRIDS |
| Authors: | L. Mascarini, A. Mascarini, M. Goldberg, A. Landini, S. Orden, F. Vilella |
| Keywords: | Shading meshes, bedding plant, photomorphogenesis |
| Abstract:
Within the seasonal floral species, Cyclamen is one of the highest price in the argentine market due to the long period from planting to bloom. During summer, high temperatures delay blooming and lessen the commercial quality of the plant; for this reason, the use of shading meshes is mandatory in our latitudes. The effect of light quality on the number of flowers, leaves, foliar area and the size of plants, in two Cyclamen hybrids (Halios and Latinia series) was evaluated. The test was carried out in Buenos Aires, at 34,35° SL and 58,29° WL, Argentina. F1 hybrid seeds of optimum quality were sown and small greenhouses were built, covered with plastic shading meshes, colored (blue, green) and non colored (grey, white and black). The greenhouses were placed following a completely aleatory design (DCA), with four replications for each color of mesh and each hybrid. The blue mesh, compared with the green, has higher red:far red (R:FR) ratio and higher transmission of the blue wave length and produced less total foliar area within the Halios series and less foliar area of each leaf. In the Latinia series, although there were no differences in foliar area and number of leaves between the two colored meshes, the height of the plants grown under the blue was significantly less than under the green. In both series, the blue produced a higher number of flowers than the green. In addition to this the plant has smaller leaves and is more compact; the conclusion is that with the blue mesh, a higher commercial quality plant is obtained. | |
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