Growth and Flowering Responses of Cyclamen persicum to Temperature and Photosynthetic Photon Flux

Abstract

This research was conducted to investigate the growth and flowering responses of Cyclamen persicum Mill. `Piccolo' to temperature and photosynthetic photon fluxes (PPF), and to obtain fundamental data for production of good quality pot plant. Cyclamen plants with 10 fully unfolded leaves were grown in growth chambers maintained at three day/night temperatures [20/10 (LT), 25/15 (MT), and 30/20 °C (HT)] combined with three PPF [250 (LF), 350 (MF), and 650 (HF) μmol·m-2·s-1] under 14 h-photoperiod. After 3 months, the higher the temperature was, the greater plant width was. It was the greatest under MT/MF and HT/MF. The number of leaves was greater with increasing temperature and PPF. Petiole length, leaf size, and fresh weight were higher with increase in temperature but decrease in PPF. Days to flowering were lower in MT/MF and MT/HF, but higher under LT regardless of PPF. The number of flowers was the highest under MT/MF and MT/HF, and higher under MF in each temperature treatment. Flowering period was longer in LT and MT compared with HT. Most leaves of plants grown under HT curled upward because of boron deficiency induced by higher temperature and lower humidity. Chlorophyll content was higher in medium and low temperature, except LT/HF. The lower side of leaf in low temperature was more reddish compared to that in higher temperature due to some pigments considered as anthocyanin. Photosynthesis was the highest in MT/MF, but low in MT/HF and LT/HF in accordance with the chlorophyll fluorescence (Fv/Fm) which was lower under the same environment. These results indicate that 25/15°C and 350 μmol·m-2·s-1 yielded the best pot cyclamen in this study.