Photoperiod and Temperature Interact to Affect Gomphrena globosa L. and Salvia farinacea Benth. Development

• Published in: HortScience Vol. 32; no. 3; p. 502
• Main Authors: Warner, R, Erwin, J.E, Wagner, R
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 01.06.1997
• ISSN: 0018-5345; 2327-9834
• DOI: 10.21273/HORTSCI.32.3.502B

Gomphrena globosa L. `Gnome Pink' and Salvia farinacea Benth. `Victoria Blue' were grown under different photoperiod treatments with day and night temperatures ranging from 15 to 30°C ± 1°C air temperature for 14 weeks after germination or until anthesis. Days to anthesis and leaf number were lowest when plants were grown under 9 hr of daylight and daylight plus 4-hr day extension from 1700–2100 HR (100 μmol·m –2 ·s –1 from high-pressure sodium lamps) for Gomphrena and Salvia , respectively. Days to anthesis decreased as temperature increased from 15 to 25°C with Gomphrena . Further increasing night temperature from 25 to 30°C delayed flowering and increased leaf number below the first flower of Gomphrena , but hastened flowering of Salvia . Plant height and internode elongation were greatest and least in the night interruption (2 μmol·m –2 ·s –1 from incandescent lamps from 2200–0200 HR) and continuous light (daylight plus 100 μmol·m –2 ·s –1 from high-pressure sodium lamps) treatments, respectively. Implications of these data with respect to classification of Gomphrena and Salvia flower induction are discussed and revised production schedules are presented.