Flowering of Eustoma grandiflorum (Raf.) Shinn. cultivars influenced by photoperiod and temperature
Harbaugh, B.K.
HortScience 30(7): 1375-1377
1995
ISSN/ISBN: 0018-5345
Accession: 002843960
Seedling growth and flowering responses were examined for 4 E. grandiflorum cultivars exposed to photoperiod x temperature treatments at 2 seedling ages. Seedlings were grown under short days (SD, 12-h photoperiod) or long days (LD, 18-h photoperiod) in soil at 12 or 28 degrees C from 14 to 43 days after sowing. Seedlings from each treatment were then subdivided into 4 lots and subjected to the same photoperiod x temperature treatments from 43 to 79 days after sowing, for a total of 16 treatments. To determine flowering response, seedlings were grown subsequently for 120 days at 22 degrees under the same photoperiod that they received from days 43 to 79. For all cultivars and both seedling ages, seedlings were larger and had more leaves when grown at 28 degrees than at 12 degrees , but the tallest plants at flowering were from seedlings exposed to 12 degrees . Seedlings from some treatments bolted but did not initiate visible flower buds, and some seedlings developed visible buds that later aborted, resulting in plants that did not flower by the termination of the experiment (199 days). Cultivar and interactive effects of photoperiod and temperature influenced the percentage of flowering plants. Vegetative growth and flowering responses were similar for cultivars Yodel White, Heidi Pink and Blue Lisa. They flowered as LD plants when seedlings were grown at 12 degrees from days 14 to 43 or days 43 to 79. Seedlings of these cultivars that were grown under SD at 28 degrees from day 43 to 79 did not flower, regardless of photoperiod or temperature treatments from day 14 to 43. However, SD photoperiod or 28 degrees did not decrease flowering for cv. GCREC-Blue.