ISHS Acta Horticulturae 711: V International Symposium on Artificial Lighting in Horticulture
INFLUENCE OF DIFFERENT LAMPS ON THE GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT ON THE SHORT DAY PLANT KALANCHOE BLOSSFELDIANA |
| Authors: | M. Pérez, M.T. Lao, G. Scherer |
| Keywords: | Photoperiod, phytochrome, flowering, PAR |
| Abstract:
The experiment was carried out in a Venlo greenhouse in the Continental area. Kalanchoe blossfeldiana was grown under an open box with different lighting. In this trial the effects on the growth and development of kalanchoe evaluated with different lights quality was studied. Field experiments were conducted through 8 treatments: T1 (blue light), T2 (red, far-red and white light), T3 (red light), T4 (blue, far-red and white light), T5 (white light), T6 (red and blue light), T7 (red, blue and far-red light) and finally T8 (far-red light); with a total of 56 plants, 7 plants per box. The temperature was constant during the experiment, 20 Cº at night and 22 Cº during the day. Kalanchoe blossfeldiana is a short day plant and the photoperiod was controlled covering the boxes with a light-impenetrable tissue from 3 p.m. until 7 a.m. The main objective was to know how the different colours of light have an effect on some parameters like height of the plant, flowering time, and number of flowers. The experimental results showed that Kalanchoe blossfeldiana had statistical differences of the height depending on the colour of the lamp. Plants under T2 had longer stems. In contrast plants under T3 had the shortest stems. A measurement of the number of secondary flowering shoots was taken and the results showed that plants under T5 had more shoots than in the other treatments. Finally, in relation with flowering time, plants under T6 bloomed earlier than the rest of plants and plants under T8 delayed the flowering by nearly a month. Plants under T5 and T6 had much more flowers than in the other sets. Plants under T7 and T8 had a few number of flowers per pot. As a conclusion it can be said that the shift in plants from vegetative growth to floral development is regulated mainly by red/far-red light receptors (phytochromes) and blue light receptors (cryptochromes). Red and blue light make the plant bloom earlier and far-red light the opposite. | |
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