Effect of extended day length on growth and flower production in Kalanchoe (Kalanchoe blossfeldiana poelln.)
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Date
2020
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Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana
Abstract
The present investigation entitled ―Effect of extended day length on growth and flower
production in Kalanchoe (Kalanchoe blossfeldiana Poelln.)‖ was carried out at the research
farm of the Department of Floriculture and Landscaping, Punjab Agricultural University,
Ludhiana during 2019-20 to study the effect of different durations of time and number of days
of night interruption on various vegetative and floral attributes. Plants were propagated from
terminal cuttings. Rooted cuttings are transplanted into pots of 15 cm diameter comprising of
Soil and Farm Yard Manure during August. The long days were provided by extending the
day length by artificial light source (CFL bulbs) starting from October 7 for 20(Oct 7- Oct
26), 30(Oct 7- Nov 5) and 40(Oct 7- Nov 15) days as night interruption for 30 minutes and 60
minutes from 23:30 to 00:00 and 23:00 to 00:30 respectively. Plants put under natural day
length served as control. The experiments were laid out as per treatments in Factorial
Completely Randomized Design (CRD) with five replications comprising six pots per
replication. The photoperiodic treatments in the form of night interruption significantly
(p<0.05) affected the plant growth and flowering in Kalanchoe. Impotant qualitative criteria
in potted plant industry, compact plant growth with minimum plant height (26.20 cm), plant
spread (19.17 cm) and number of branches per plant (2.93) is reported by exposing the plants
to 60 min. night interruption for 20 days. Stem girth, petiole thickness, leaf length and leaf
width showed non-significant differences to all the treatments. However, leaf thickness is
reported inversely related to night interruption. While the plants exposed to 60 min. of night
interruption for 40 days are reported to delay the flowering significantly upto 1½ month as
compared to control where no artificial lighting in the form of night interruption was
employed. Maximum number of days to flower bud appearance (138.07 days), days to color
break stage (203.79 days) and days to 50% opening of flowers (232.23 days) was reported
under 60 min. of night interruption for 40 days. Therefore, delayed flower production in
Kalanchoe upto 45 days can be achieved by 60 min. of night interruption for 40 days along
with acceptable quality pot plant. Significant variable amount of anthocyanin and total
phenols reported with photoperiodic treatment which confirms that photoperiod influenced
biosynthesis of anthocyanin and phenolic compound in Kalanchoe.
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Citation
Kamath, Shantesh Ramesh (2020). Effect of extended day length on growth and flower production in Kalanchoe (Kalanchoe blossfeldiana poelln.) (Unpublished M.Sc. thesis). Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, Punjab, India.