Aquilegia cultivars `Songbird Bluebird', `Songbird Robin', `Dove Improved', `Colorado Violet/White' and five cultivars from new experimental genetic lines (`Red and White', `Rose and White #1', `Rose and White #2', `Scarlet and Yellow' and `White') will flower without vernalization, but little is known of their response to light or plant growth regulators. Plants were started from seed on 5 Jan. 1999 and grown in either natural light or 33% shade, and treated with gibberellins (GA4/7) at the seven-leaf stage. Flowering time, number of flowers/plant, and plant height were evaluated through 31 May 1999. All five cultivars from the new genetic lines bloomed during the study. `White', grown in shade and treated with GA4/7, bloomed 2 weeks earlier (115 days) than untreated plants grown in natural light (130 days). `Songbird Robin', treated with GA4/7, bloomed in 146 days, and was the only other cultivar to bloom. Flower numbers were greater in natural light than in 33% shade. GA4/7 increased flowering for four of five cultivars, in the new genetic lines, grown in natural light. In shade, GA4/7 increased flowering for three of five cultivars. Height response to GA4/7 was significant in both natural light and 33% shade. Four of the five cultivars in the new genetic lines were taller when treated. All five of these cultivars were taller when grown in natural light verses 33% shade. `White' and both `Rose and White' cultivars were consistently taller, bloomed earlier and were more floriferous when treated with GA4/7.
Search Results
T.J. Gianfagna, R.H. Merritt, and J.D. Willmott
Michael A. Schnelle, B. Dean McCraw, and Timothy J. Schmoll
Blakely, Creekside Plants, Oologah, Okla., for their ingenuity and contribution of time, labor, and greenhouse space.
George J. Wulster and Thomas M. Ombrello
Growth and flowering of Ixia hybrids as potted plants can be controlled environmentally by cool preplant storage of corms, regulation of greenhouse forcing temperatures, and application of a growth retardant. Paclobutrazol applied as a preplant corm soak, a postemergent drench, or a postemergent spray in combination with a 2- to 4-week preplant storage of corms at 7 °C, and an 18 °C day/10 °C night forcing temperature produced attractive and marketable plants. Chemical name used: β-[(4-chlorophenyl)methyl]-α-(1,1-dimethylethyl)-1H-1,2,4-triazole-1-ethanol (paclobutrazol, Bonzi®).
Richard P. Marini, Donald S. Sowers, and Michele Choma Marini
`Sweet Sue' peach (Prunus persica L. Batsch) trees were subjected to a factorial arrangement of treatments. At planting, trees were headed at 10 or 70 cm above the bud union and trees were trained to an open-vase or central-leader form. For the first 4 years, high-headed trees were larger than low-headed trees. After 7 years, open-vase trees had larger trunk cross-sectional area, tree spread, and canopy volume than central-leader trees. Open-vase trees had higher yield and crop value per tree, but lower yield and crop value per unit of land area or unit of canopy volume than central-leader trees. Crop density and yield efficiency were similar for all treatments.
George J. Wulster and Thomas M. Ombrello
Growth and flowering of Ixia hybrids as potted plants can be controlled environmentally by cool preplant storage of corms, regulation of greenhouse forcing temperatures, and application of a growth retardant. Paclobutrazol applied as a preplant corm soak, a postemergent drench, or a postemergent spray in combination with a 2- to 4-week preplant storage of corms at 7 °C, and an 18 °C day/10 °C night forcing temperature produced attractive and marketable plants. Chemical name used: β-[(4-chlorophenyl)methyl]-α-(1,1-dimethylethyl)-1H-1,2,4-triazole-1-ethanol (paclobutrazol, Bonzi®).
Zhi-Liang Zheng, Jyan-Chyun Jang, James D. Metzger, and Zhenbiao Yang
Plant architecture is a major consideration during the commercial production of chrysanthemum (Dendranthema grandiflora Tzvelev). We have addressed this problem through a biotechnological approach: genetic engineering of chrysanthemum cv. Iridon plants that ectopically expressed a tobacco phytochrome B1 gene under the control of the CaMV 35S promoter. The transgenic plants were shorter, greener in leaves, and had larger branch angles than wild-type (WT) plants. Transgenic plants also phenocopied WT plants grown under light condition depleted of far-red wavelengths. Furthermore, the reduction of growth by the expressed PHY-B1 transgene did not directly involve gibberellins. The commercial application of this biotechnology could provide an economic alternative to the use of chemical growth regulators, and thus reduce the production cost.
Peter Alem, Paul A. Thomas, and Marc W. van Iersel
nonchemical methods of height control have been described. Previous work has shown the possibility of controlling plant height by reducing temperature or by manipulating night and daytime temperatures ( Berghage and Heins, 1991 ; Moe et al., 1992a ). However
Judy Lee, Miguel I. Gómez, and William B. Miller
regulate plant height and improve plant uniformity and can contribute to more accurate scheduling of flowering dates, meeting market requirements for plant height, and reduction of shipping costs. Although there are general guidelines suggesting the best
Peter Alem, Paul A. Thomas, and Marc W. van Iersel
Poinsettia height control involves careful application of height regulation without compromising plant quality. The use of PGRs is a standard practice in poinsettia height regulation. However, excessive application of PGRs can result in permanent
Barbara A. Fair, Brian Whipker,, Ingram McCall, and Wayne Buhler
butterflies. Hybrid sage was selected for this study based on its popularity in southern gardens and to determine if a plant growth regulator (PGR) could help control stem height, potentially increasing ease of shipping and handling. In previous work ( Latimer