Night-break lighting treatment improves the growth quality of lisianthus (Eustoma grandiflorum) in Taiwan

Eustoma grandiflorum, cultivated during winter and spring in Taiwan, often receives insufficient light, causing floral bud abortion and retarded growth.
The results of this study showed that night-break lighting by using 1000-W mercury high-intensity discharge (HID) lamps (13.4 μmol·m^-2·s^-1 for 4 h) increased the plant height by approximately 5-15 cm for the cultivars ‘Tiramisu’ and ‘Echo Blue’. Night-break lighting increased the ‘Echo Blue’ flower numbers by approximately three or four.
Furthermore, the percentage of ‘Echo Blue’ first-cut flowers with three or more branches increased by approximately40%. Moreover, the time for 50% flowering of ‘Tiramisu’ second harvested flower stems was 3 weeks less for the night-break lighting-treated flowers than for the non-treated flowers.
We conclude that night-break lighting with mercury HID lamps improves the Eustoma cut flower quality during autumn and winter in Taiwan.

XXIX International Horticultural Congress on Horticulture: Sustaining Lives, Livelihoods and Landscapes (IHC2014): International Symposium on Ornamental Horticulture in the Global Greenhouse

Chen Yen Hua, Tsai Wao Yu

mercury vapor high-intensity discharge (HID) lamp, light intensity, plant height, branching, cut flower quality, percentage of flower spikes blooming

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2015.1104.31