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- Author or Editor: Robert W. Langhans x
Easter liliy (Lilium longiflorum Thunb. `Nellie White') bulbs were stored in moist peatmoss for up to 85 days at – 1.0 or 4.5C. Bulbs were periodically removed from storage and analyzed to determine levels of soluble carbohydrates and starch. Storage at – 1.0C induced large accumulations of sucrose, mannose, fructose, and oligosaccharide in both mother and daughter scales. Starch concentration declined substantially during this period. Storage at 4.5C resulted in less dramatic alterations in bulb carbohydrates, although trends toward increased soluble carbohydrates and reduced starch levels were seen. The accumulation of mannose suggests that glucomannan, a secondary storage carbohydrate, was also degraded during – 1.0C storage.
With the primary objective of assuring food safety at the production level, a HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point) plan was developed and implemented in an 8000-ft2 greenhouse producing 1000 heads of lettuce per day in Ithaca, N.Y. The plan was developed following the HACCP principles and application guidelines published by the National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods (1997). The CEA glass greenhouse uses both artificial high-pressure sodium lamps and a shade curtain for light control. Temperature is controlled via evaporative cooling and water heating. Lettuce plants are grown in a hydroponic pond system and are harvested on day 35 from day of seeding. Known and reasonable risks from chemical, physical, and microbiological hazards were defined during the hazard analysis phase. Critical control points were identified in the maintenance of the pond water, the operation of evaporative coolers, shade curtains, and during harvesting and storage. Appropriate prerequisite programs were implemented before the HACCP plan as a baseline for achieving minimum working conditions. Proper critical limits for some potential hazards were established and monitoring programs set up to control them. Postharvest handling was setup in an adjacent head house that was adapted as a food manufacturing facility according to New York State Dept. of Agriculture and Markets standards. Potential applications will be discussed.
The release of latent buds (adaptive reiteration) and aerial shoot architecture of the rhizomatous calla lily plant has been researched for pot production. Rhizome mapping has explicitly shown vegetative and floral bud positioning in relation to tissue growth and expansion. Floral initiation normally occurred only on the mother portion of rhizomes. Gibberellic acid (GA3) application enhanced this phenomenon and caused initiation on daughter ramets. Bud excision performed at planting through Day 16 microscopically revealed lack of floral initiation in dissected meristems prior to planting, transition by Day 4, elongation beginning at Day 8 and `small to medium sized spadixes present by Day 12 and 16. Floral development was similar in treated and untreated primary buds, but delayed in secondary and tertiary buds with elongation occurring by Day 16. Pretreatment of GA3 prior to planting revealed spadix presence at Day 0. Floral development correlated with ramet size showed most flowers on largest ramets but formation on all sizes with GA3 treatment. GA3 also caused increased vegetative bud formation on rhizomes.
Abstract
Environmental variation within a growth chamber was measured both physically and biologically. Experimental designs are suggested to increase precision in research studies.
The objective of this study was to determine the dry weight, height, and leaf area growth responses of impatiens (Impatiens walerana Hook. f.) plug seedlings to air temperatures ranging from 18 to 29C. The conditions maintained in the controlled-environment growth rooms (CEGR) were ambient C02 levels, 24-h lighting, and photosynthetic photon flux (PPF) ranging from ≈215; to 335 μmol·m-2·s-1. Mean daily temperatures of the plug medium ranged from 19.6 to 27.7C. At the higher PPF level, shoot dry weight decreased at plug medium temperatures (PMT) > 25C; at lower PPF levels (<300 μmol·m-2·s-1), shoot dry weight continued to increase with PMT > 25C. The mean relative growth rate (MRGR) of shoot dry weight was positively correlated with PMT during the initial growth period (up to 14 days from sowing) and was negatively correlated thereafter. The maximum MRGR was predicted to occur at 11.7 days from sowing for a PMT of 19.6C, at 10.8 days for a PMT of 21.6C, and at 9.7 days for a PMT of 23.6C. Linear regression coefficients of shoot height as a function of PMT were substantially higher for seedlings grown at lower PPF than those for seedlings from the highest PPF level. Seedling leaf area consistently increased with increasing temperature. Net assimilation rate (NAR) decreased with increasing seedling age NAR increased with increasing PPF. A decrease in NAR was apparent at 29C relative to values at the lower temperatures. Leaf area ratio (LAR) declined with increasing seedling age and PPF; a quadratic relationship of LAR as a function of PMT indicates a minimum LAR at 22.5C. The seedlings grown at 29C were excessively tall, had thin succulent leaves, and were judged unacceptable for shipping and transplanting. Maximum quality indices (i.e., dry weight per height) were found at PMT of 24.3 to 25.OC for 10- to 14-day-old seedlings and at PMT of 23.0 to 24.OC for 16- to 20-day-old seedlings.
Uniformity of growth response of impatiens (Impatiems wallerana Hook. f.) plug seedlings was examined in four identical growth rooms. Differences among growth rooms for dry weight, height, and leaf area of 10- to 24-day-old seedlings were generally not significant. During six experiments over 6 months, an individual growth room was maintained under contant baseline environmental conditions. Differences in growth response over time appear to be related to nutrition and irradiance levels. For three experiments with nearly identical irradiance, temperature, and nutrition levels, dry weight and height growth differences over time were only rarely significant. These results illustrate that rather unsophisticated growth rooms can provide consistent growth response over time among experimental units.
Protein is an important and essential dietary component. Common bean, a major source of vegetable protein in the Americas, was chosen for study in controlled environments with a view to its potential for use in space colonies. Eighteen 0.58-m2 stands of the cranberry type of bean, `Etna', were grown in the greenhouse at plant densities of 7, 15, and 28 plants/m2 in a recirculating ebb-and-flow system. Duration of photoperiod and thermoperiod was 16 h. Day/night temperatures settings were 25/20 °C. Daily light integral was matched across greenhouse sections by means of supplemental lighting; it averaged 17 mol/m2 per day. Crop cycle was 70 days from seed to harvest. At harvest, plants were dismembered so that dry weights of leaf, branch, stem, pod, and bean yields could be separately measured by node of origin. Internode lengths were recorded, and all loose trash recovered. The relationship between yield and plant density followed the form expected. Yield of edible biomass at 7 plants/m2 (284 g/m2) was 88% of that at 28 plants/m2 (324 g/m2), a significant difference. At 15 plants/m2 it was 97%. The trend suggests that further gains (but only very small) in yield can be expected with increased density in this cultivar. Productivity and quantum yield at 28 plants/m2 were 4.69 g/m2 per day and 0.27 g/mol, respectively. The coefficient of variation for plants grown at 28 plants/m2 was three times that of plants grown at 7 plants/m2 (0.88 vs. 0.26). Yield component analysis, harvest index, and plant morphology at the different planting densities are discussed.
Abstract
High-pressure sodium (HPS) lamps were as effective as incandescent (INC) lamps for controlling photoperiod with 10 cultivars of Chrysanthemum × morifolium Ramat. for up to 8 weeks when used at illuminances (108 to 215 lux) generally recommended. Two garden cultivars studied initiated flowering under long days (LD) with both lamps. In a second study, 11 chrysanthemum cultivars were grown under continuous irradiation from HPS lamps. Six cultivars were vegetative after 8 weeks; the other 5 cultivars developed crown buds or lost apical dominance.
Abstract
Supplemental high-pressure sodium (HPS) irradiation of greenhouse-grown snapdragons (Antirrhinum majus L.) at a quantum flux density (QFD) of 105 ± 15 μE m−2s−1 reduced winter flowering time and increased fresh weight and stem length. Flowering time, fresh weight, and stem length were equal when plants were grown at both summer (8 × 10 cm) and winter (10 × 13 cm) spacings under HPS lamps, thereby increasing winter production/m2 by 63%. Reductions in flowering time and increases in fresh weight and stem length for cultivars grown under HPS lamps during the spring were smaller than for plants grown under HPS lamps during the winter. Differences in cultivar response were found in both studies.
Abstract
Media, nutrition, light and temperature studies were conducted with several species of Cactaceae and Crassulaceae to develop systems for propagating and growing succulents from seed or cuttings in the cool climates and low light irradiances found at northern latitudes. A peat-perlite (1:1 by volume) medium was suitable for rooting and growth. Nitrate nitrogen applied at the rate of 100 ppm with every watering appears optimal for various species at all stages of propagation and development. Most species grew equally well when grown at 10° or 17ºC night temperature. Acceptable germination percentages were obtained with an irradiance of 220 µE·m−2s−1 and a medium temperature of 24°C.