Promotion of Flowering from Far-red Radiation Depends on the Photosynthetic Daily Light Integral

Under natural short days, growers can use photoperiodic lighting to promote flowering of long-day plants and inhibit flowering of short-day plants. Unlike traditional lamps used for photoperiodic lighting, low-intensity light-emitting diode (LED) lamps allow for a wide array of adjustable spectral distributions relevant to regulation of flowering, including red (R) and white (W) radiation with or without far-red (FR) radiation. Our objective was to quantify how day-extension (DE) photoperiodic lighting from two commercially available low-intensity LED lamps emitting R + W or R + W + FR radiation interacted with daily light integral (DLI) to influence stem elongation and flowering of several ornamental species. Long-day plants [petunia (Petunia ×hybrida Vilm.-Andr. ‘Dreams Midnight’) and snapdragon (Antirrhinum majus L. ‘Oh Snap Pink’)], short-day plants [african marigold (Tagetes erecta L. ‘Moonsong Deep Orange’) and potted sunflower (Helianthus annuus L. ‘Pacino Gold’)], and day-neutral plants [pansy (Viola ×wittrockiana Gams. ‘Matrix Yellow’) and zinnia (Zinnia elegans Jacq. ‘Magellan Cherry’)] were grown at 20/18 °C day/night air temperatures and under low (6–9 mol·m−2·d−1) or high (16–19 mol·m−2·d−1) seasonal photosynthetic DLIs from ambient solar radiation combined with supplemental high-pressure sodium lighting and DE LED lighting. Photoperiods consisted of a truncated 9-hour day (0800–1700 hr) with additional 1-hour (1700–1800 hr, 10 hours total), 4-hour (1700–2100 hr, 13 hours total), or 7-hour (1700–2400 hr, 16 hours total) R + W or R + W + FR LED lighting at 2 μmol·m−2·s−1. Days to visible bud, plant height at first open flower, and time to first open flower (TTF) of each species were influenced by DLI, lamp type, and photoperiod though to different magnitudes. For example, plant height of african marigold and potted sunflower at first open flower was greatest under R + W + FR lamps, high DLIs, and 16-hour photoperiods. Petunia grown under R + W lamps, high DLI, and 10- and 13-hour photoperiods were the most compact. For all species, TTF was generally reduced under high DLIs. For example, regardless of the lamp type, flowering of african marigold occurred fastest under a high DLI and 10-hour photoperiod. Flowering of petunia and snapdragon occurred fastest under a high DLI, R + W + FR lamps, and a 16-hour photoperiod. However, only under high DLIs, R + W or R + W + FR lamps were equally effective at promoting flowering when used to provide DE lighting. Our data suggest that under low DLIs, flowering of long-day plants (petunia and snapdragon) occurs more rapidly under lamps providing R + W + FR, whereas under high DLIs, flowering is promoted similarly under either R + W or R + W + FR lamps.

Reversion of the photoperiod dependence of flowering in rice with synthetic Hd1-microProteins

SUMMARYRice (Oryza sativa) is a facultative short-day plant that flowers very late when grown in non-inductive long day conditions. Photoperiod-dependent flowering in rice is regulated by heading date (Hd1) which acts as both an activator and repressor of flowering in a day length-dependent manner. In order to regulate flowering of rice in long days (LD), overexpression of a synthetic Hd1miP, which is capable of interacting with Hd1, was employed. Transgenic Hd1miP rice plants flowered significantly earlier when grown in LD compared to SD, showing that synthetic microProteins can be used to revert short-day plants to long-day plants. Yield analysis revealed that although the OX-Hd1miP grains are comparable to WT in terms of the size of the grains produced, OX-Hd1miP plants like hd1 knockout plants, are compromised in the number of grains produced and the grain maturity rate, suggesting an additional unrecognized role of Hd1 in grain maturity.

Comparing Flowering Responses of Long-day Plants under Incandescent and Two Commercial Light-emitting Diode Lamps

When the natural daylength is short, commercial growers of ornamental long-day plants (LDP) often provide low-intensity lighting to more rapidly and uniformly induce flowering. Incandescent (INC) lamps have been traditionally used for photoperiodic lighting because their spectrum, rich in red [R (600 to 700 nm)] and far-red [FR (700 to 800 nm)] light, is effective and they are inexpensive to purchase and install. Light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are much more energy efficient, can emit wavelengths of light that specifically regulate flowering, and last at least 20 times longer. We investigated the efficacy of two new commercial LED products developed for flowering applications on the LDP ageratum (Ageratum houstonianum), calibrachoa (Calibrachoa ×hybrida), two cultivars of dianthus (Dianthus chinensis), and two cultivars of petunia (Petunia ×hybrida). Plants were grown under a 9-hour short day without or with a 4-hour night interruption (NI) delivered by one of three lamp types: INC lamps (R:FR = 0.59), LED lamps with R and white (W) diodes [R + W (R:FR = 53.35)], and LED lamps with R, W, and FR diodes [R + W + FR (R:FR = 0.67)]. The experiment was performed twice, both at a constant 20 °C, but the photosynthetic daily light integral (DLI) during the second replicate (Rep. II) was twice that in the first (Rep. I). In all crops and in both experimental replicates, time to flower, flower or inflorescence and node number, and plant height were similar under the R + W + FR LEDs and the INC lamps. However, in Rep. I, both petunia cultivars developed more nodes and flowering was delayed under the R + W LEDs compared with the INC or R + W + FR LEDs. In Rep. II, petunia flowering time and node number were similar under the three NI treatments. Plant height of both dianthus cultivars was generally shorter under the NI treatment without FR light (R + W LEDs). These results indicate that when the DLI is low (e.g., ≤6 mol·m−2·d−1), FR light is required in NI lighting for the most rapid flowering of some but not all LDP; under a higher DLI, the flowering response to FR light in NI lighting is apparently diminished.

Influence of night-breaks on flowering and phytohormones content in Hyoscyamus niger L.

Night-breaks caused both stimulated shoot growth and caused formation of flowers as well as a general increase in the content of phytohormones in leaves of the long-day plant <em>Hyoscyamus niger</em> L. At the time of flower formation in night-break treated plants, new gibberellin-like substances also appear. The results show that night-breaks cause similar changes in the phytohormones content as a long inductive photoperiod. It may be assumed that independently of the way of induction, the generative differentiation of long-day plants is always accompanied by a general increase in the amount of endogenous hormones and the appearance of new gibberellins. These results suggest the possibility of a morphogenetic role of hormones, especially gibberellins, in the phenomena of flower formation and differentiation.