Articles
PHOTOPERIODIC LIGHTING OF MATRICARIA (TANACETUM PARTHENIUM)
Article number
580_14
Pages
117 – 126
Language
English
Abstract
Matricaria is grown as a minor cut flower crop.
As a qualitative long-day plant, it can be scheduled by photoperiodic lighting to flower year-round.
The objectives of these experiments were to optimize the photoperiodic lighting, timing of night break as well as day extensions, and compare lamp types, and required levels of lighting.
Two cultivars were used in seven experiments, run from autumn through winter, in spring or from spring into summer.
The first visible response of Matricaria to long-days is bolting of the plants, generally immediately followed by the development of flowers.
Apart from blue and a pure far-red source, Matricaria bolted and flowered with all kind of lamp types.
However, with a day extension with blue fluorescent lamps, the plants bolted but did not produce flower buds.
At some periods of the year a source with red + far-red was needed, in other periods a source without far-red was sufficient.
A 2-h night break after 8 or 10 hours of darkness proved to be optimal for inducing bolting and flowering.
This was true with nights of 12, 14 and 16 hour nights.
With a day extension of two hours using fluorescent lamps, the night break optimum shifted two hours.
With a natural day of 12 hours a day extension of two hours in the evening could not induce flowering, but a two-hour day extension before the start of the day caused flowering.
By placing the plants along a light gradient it was shown that the amount of light needed per night break to induce flowering was about equal to the amount needed to prevent flowering in the short-day plant chrysanthemum, approximately 1000-1500 μmol m-2 (400-700 nm wavelenght) per night.
As a qualitative long-day plant, it can be scheduled by photoperiodic lighting to flower year-round.
The objectives of these experiments were to optimize the photoperiodic lighting, timing of night break as well as day extensions, and compare lamp types, and required levels of lighting.
Two cultivars were used in seven experiments, run from autumn through winter, in spring or from spring into summer.
The first visible response of Matricaria to long-days is bolting of the plants, generally immediately followed by the development of flowers.
Apart from blue and a pure far-red source, Matricaria bolted and flowered with all kind of lamp types.
However, with a day extension with blue fluorescent lamps, the plants bolted but did not produce flower buds.
At some periods of the year a source with red + far-red was needed, in other periods a source without far-red was sufficient.
A 2-h night break after 8 or 10 hours of darkness proved to be optimal for inducing bolting and flowering.
This was true with nights of 12, 14 and 16 hour nights.
With a day extension of two hours using fluorescent lamps, the night break optimum shifted two hours.
With a natural day of 12 hours a day extension of two hours in the evening could not induce flowering, but a two-hour day extension before the start of the day caused flowering.
By placing the plants along a light gradient it was shown that the amount of light needed per night break to induce flowering was about equal to the amount needed to prevent flowering in the short-day plant chrysanthemum, approximately 1000-1500 μmol m-2 (400-700 nm wavelenght) per night.
Authors
T. Blacquière, D. Krijger, M. de Graaf-van der Zande
Keywords
bolting, day extension, night break timing, red light, blue light, far-red
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