Aquilegia ×hybrida `Bluebird' and `Robin', grown as greenhouse pot plants, initiated flower buds before cold exposure (4.5C) under supplemental high-pressure sodium lamps in mid-December, 5.5 months from sowing. Low temperature was the primary environmental factor that affected floral development in `Bluebird'. As the length of the cold exposure increased, the time between appearance of visible buds, anthesis, and petal shattering decreased, as did inflorescence number and total flower number per plant. Gibberellic acid (GA3) at 100 or 200 mg·liter-1 accelerated the appearance of visible buds during forcing in treatments without cold exposure. Soil drench applications of GA3 2 weeks before cold treatment accelerated floral development more than GA3 applied after cold exposure. Inflorescence number and total flower number per plant were reduced by 4 or 8 weeks but not by 2 weeks of exposure to cold. The developmental rate of “Robin', i.e., appearance of visible buds and anthesis, was quicker in plants with 18 to 20 leaves than in those with 12 to 14 leaves.
Magnetite: Raman study of the high-pressure and low-temperature effects
