The responses of early-flowering chrysanthemums to daylength

Abstract

In a study of photoperiod response 30 early (summer)-flowering chrysanthemum cultivars from Britain and Japan reacted as quantitative short-day plants. Both flower bud initiation and development occurred more rapidly in short days (SD) as compared with long days (LD). The early-flowering cultivars differed from late-flowering chrysanthemums in that lateral flower buds, and often the terminal flower buds, develop to anthesis in LD. Internodes were shorter in SD and flowers had fewer florets. There was an increased number and proportion of disc florets in SD in all cultivars except one. Two cultivars, ‘Mezame’ and ‘Pennine Yellow’, closely approached day-neutrality. All cultivars produced fewer leaves in LD on upper lateral shoots than on main stems. Either the presence of the terminal flower bud induces earlier flowering of the upper lateral shoots, or the change which causes the terminal apical meristem to initiate a flower in LD influences the axillary meristem also. SD could be used to speed up the flowering of glasshouse-grown crops of early-flowering cultivars. The advantages and disadvantages which may be associated with treatment at different stages of growth are discussed.