Effects of Temperature and Defoliation on Growth, Photosynthesis, and Flowering of Anthurium andraeanum Hort.
Date Issued
2010
Date
2010
Author(s)
Lin, Lun-Wei
Abstract
Anthurium andraeanum Hort. has become an important cut flower crop in Taiwan. Removal of young leaves is already practiced by growers in Netherlands, but the effects on the cut flower quality are not clear. The objectives of this study were to elucidate 1) the effect of temperature on growth and flowering, 2) optimum leaf number for cut flower production, and 3) relationships between growth of leaves and flowers, based on photoassimilates production and partitioning, and thus to improve cut flower production and quality in Taiwan.
Dry weights of shoot, stem, and root in Anthurium ‘Tropical’ and ‘Choco’ decreased as day/night temperature increased to 35/30 oC. Plant at 20/15 oC had highest dry weights. Photoassimilates accumulated mainly in leaves at higher temperatures, but in roots at lower temperatures. Flower dry weight, spathe size, spadix length, peduncle length, and peduncle diameter decreased as temperature increased to 30/25 oC, especially in ‘Choco’. Total soluble sugar content in spathe was higher at 20/15 oC than at 30/25 oC for both cultivars. Starch content in spathe was lower at 30/25 oC than at 25/20 oC and 20/15 oC.
The second newly expanded leaf had higher net photosynthesis rate for plants grew at 30/25 oC. In contrast, the second and third newly expanded leaves had higher net photosynthesis rate in plant grew at 25/20 oC. The net photosynthesis rate decreased with leaf position. The trend was consistent with stomatal conductance.
Defoliation did not affect the spathe size in Anthurium ‘Jupiter’. Time to flower harvesting was longer in plants with six retained leaves, indicating reduced production yield in plants with excessive leaves. Higher net photosynthesis rate was measured in plants with one to three retained leaves than plants with six retained leaves on day 14 after defoliation of old leaves. Plants with one retained leaf still had higher net photosynthesis rate on day 28 after defoliation.
SPAD-502 value, Fm, and Fv/Fm of subtending leaves increased during expansion in Anthurium ‘Tropical’ and ‘Choco’. Furled young leaf had a negative net photosynthesis rate. Rates of net photosynthesis, stomatal conductance, and transpiration increased as leaf matured, while intercellular CO2 concentration was higher in young leaves and decreased as leaf expanded.
Removal of preceding flower bud in Anthurium ‘Tropical’ accelerated growth of subsequent leaf and flower, but did not affect spathe size and vase life. Nevertheless, removal of young leaf was more effective in accelerating growth of succeeding flower. Hence, young leaves exhibited apparently stronger sinks than preceding flower buds. Removal of young leaf during April to July accelerated succeeding flower emergence, but did not affect spathe size and vase life. Removal of young leaf did not accelerate preceding flower emergence. The furled subtending leaf acted as a strong sink, depriving the succeeding flower of nutrients but not the preceding flower. Removal of young leaf in October did not accelerate succeeding flower emergence, suggesting that environmental factors might affect the source-sink relationship between flower buds and subtending leaves.
Subjects
cut flower
carbohydrate
vase life
leaf development
source-sink relationship
Type
thesis
File(s)![Thumbnail Image]()
Loading...
Name
ntu-99-R97628107-1.pdf
Size
23.53 KB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum
(MD5):22d0bb249bd612d8712b38a9afed066e