LIGHT, TEMPERATURE AND PHOTOPERIOD AFFECT THE USEFULNESS OF OXYPETALUM CAERULEUM, TWEEDIA, AS A CUT FLOWER CROP

A progressive increase in temperature from 14 to 30C resulted in linear increases in stem length and node number and decreases in stem diameter and stem strength. Higher temperatures also resulted in additional flower abortion, reduced time to flowering and fewer flowering stems per inflorescence. Reduction in the photosynthetic photon flux (PPF) from 695 to 315 μmole m-2s-1 had similar effects as increasing the temperature on vegetative parameters but had little effect on reproductive parameters. The rate of stem elongation was greatest at low PPF for all temperatures and at high temperature for all PPF treatments. Net photosynthesis rose between 14 and 22C and declined at 30C for all PPF treatments. Long photoperiods (12, 14 hr.) resulted in longer internodes, longer stems and more flowers per cyme than short photoperiods (8, 10 hr) but photoperiod had little effect on flowering time.