634 Effects of Light Sources for Light Period Extension on Growth and Fowering in Statice

Abstract

This experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of artificial light sources for light period extension on growth and flowering of statice `Sophia' and `Early Blue'. The seeds were sown on 10 June in a plug tray with 128 plugs. The seedlings were grown at the highland (800 m above sea level) for 50 days, and transplanted on 30 July in 20-cm-diameter plastic pots. High-pressure sodium lamps (HPS) (220V, 400W), incandescent lamps (Il) (220V, 200W), and fluorescent lamps (Fl) (220V, 40W) for day length extension (16-h photoperiod) as compared with short day (8-h photoperiod) were tested. HPS gave the greatest photosynthetically active radiation (PAR), but Fl did the smallest. HPS or Fl as compared with Il showed high ratio of red/far-red light. The leaves of plant grown under HPS were effective for light absorbance and chlorophyll contents. HPS promoted photosynthesis as much as light period extension, while more respiration than photosynthesis occurred under Fl affected by low PAR. Long day condition as light period extension hastened flowering of statice, and HPS or Il were more effective than Fl on flowering among artificial light sources tested. The light compensation and saturation points of statice were 50 and 500 μmol·m–2·s–1, respectively. Photosynthesis hastened at high temperature, but amount of photosynthesis at vegetative stage showed much higher than flowering stage under the condition below 20 °C These results indicated that day length extension with HPS increased productivity and quality for cut flower of statice at the highland in Korea.