Effects of Cooling Temperature and Duration on Flowering of the Nobile
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
JOBNAME: horts 43#6 2008 PAGE: 1 OUTPUT: August 20 15:29:49 2008 tsp/horts/171632/02915 HORTSCIENCE 43(6):1765–1769. 2008. Sw. produces flower buds having nearly fully developed anthers and all other floral parts and then undergoes dormancy. Floral devel- Effects of Cooling Temperature and opment resumes in the dormant flower buds after a sudden temperature drop of 5 °C Duration on Flowering of the Nobile (exact temperature unspecified), which is often associated with rainstorms in southeast Dendrobium Orchid Asia (Goh et al., 1982). The low temperatures that induce flower Christine Yung-Ting Yen1 and Terri W. Starman2,5 initiation vary among orchid genera and even Department of Horticultural Sciences, 2133 TAMU, Texas A&M University, differ from one species to another or among College Station, TX 77843-2133 hybrids in the same genus. Regardless of daylength, several Cymbidium Sw. hybrids Yin-Tung Wang3 (C. Madeleine, C. Doreen, C. Zebra, and C. Department of Horticultural Sciences, Texas A&M University System, Texas No. 2212) and Paphiopedilum insigne Lindl. flowered at a low temperature of 13 °C AgriLife Research and Extension Center at Weslaco, 2415 East Highway 83, (Rotor, 1952, 1959). Nishimura et al. (1976) Weslaco, TX 78596 reported that the transition from vegetative 4 growth to flower development in Phalaenop- Genhua Niu sis Sea Mist required relatively low temper- Department of Horticultural Sciences, Texas AgriLife Research and atures of 15 to 18 °C. Two to 5 weeks of night Extension Center at El Paso, 1380 A&M Circle, El Paso, TX 79927 temperature between 12 and 17 °C and day temperature not over 27 °C for flower initi- Additional index words. cooling requirement, Dendrobium nobile, flower induction, flower ation in Phalaenopsis amabilis Blume and initiation Phalaenopsis schilleriana Rchb. f. was re- Abstract. The effects of cooling temperature [constant (10, 13, 15, or 18 8C, or 15, 18, or ported by Tran Thanh Van (1974). 21 8C)] and duration (2, 3, 4, 5, or 6 weeks, or 3, 4, 5, 6, or 7 weeks) at two separate locations Relatively high temperatures may be (College Station and Weslaco, TX) on growth and flowering of Dendrobium Sea Mary unfavorable to flower induction. Several ‘Snow King’, a Dendrobium nobile Lindl. hybrid, were investigated and the cooling Cymbidium hybrids, Paphiopedilum insigne requirement for flowering was quantified. Interactions between temperature and cooling and D. nobile plants held at 18 °C, compared duration were significant on time required to reach anthesis from either the beginning or with 13 °C, remained vegetative (Rotor, completion of cooling, average flower number per flowering node, and percentage of nodes 1952, 1959). Flowering of P. amabilis was with aborted buds. Increasing cooling duration from 2 to 6 or 3 to 7 weeks resulted in less inhibited when plants were grown under high time to reach anthesis after the completion of cooling. However, the increased cooling temperatures (30 °C day/23 °C night) com- durations extended the time needed for producing a flowering crop. Plants cooled at a pared with low temperatures at 25 °C day/ relatively higher temperature among 10, 13, and 15 8C required less time to reach anthesis 20 °C night (Chen et al., 1994). The inflores- after the completion of cooling. Plants had more flowering nodes and total flowers when cence of P. amabilis did not emerge when cooled at 10, 13, or 15 8Cthanat188C in College Station or at 15 or 18 8Cthanat218Cin temperature was over 28 °C (Sakanishi et al., Weslaco. The results suggest that 3 weeks at 13 8C has saturated the cooling requirement, 1980). Wang et al. (2006) observed that and 3 weeks at 13 or 15 8C is a recommended cooling treatment that saves production cost when day temperature was maintained at 28 or without retarding flower development. 30 °C, certain Phalaenopsis hybrids re- mained vegetative even when night temper- ature dropped to 19 and 14 °C, respectively. Dendrobium was reported to be the sec- to determine the cultural requirements are Therefore, if the threshold temperature for ond most valued orchid genus in Japan in needed to improve the cultivation system and initiating flowers, promoting the best flower 2002 with a market share of 20%, only behind to make year-round flowering. quality, or that adversely affects plant growth Phalaenopsis with a 30% market share Dendrobium nobile, the progenitor of or inhibits flowering is known, flowering can (Laws, 2004; Wang, 2004). Dendrobium nobile-type dendrobium hybrids, is native to be programmed to meet a specific market has been the most economically important habitats ranging from the Himalayas to time. flowering pot orchid genus in Hawaii with a southeast Asia and much of southern China The objectives of this study were to wholesale value of $6 million in both 2005 (Baker and Baker, 1996). Plants must be quantify the cooling requirement for flower and 2006 (U.S. Department of Agriculture, exposed to moderately low temperatures to initiation and to define an optimum cooling 2007). However, the nobile-type den- induce flowering (Arditti, 1966; Goh et al., treatment for producing quality flowering drobiums, cultivars bred mainly from the 1982; Rotor, 1952, 1959), which usually D. Sea Mary ‘Snow King’ plants. species D. nobile (Ichihashi, 1997), are still occurs in the fall or after sudden rainstorms a relatively new mass-produced commercial in its habitats. Rotor (1952, 1959) reported Materials and Methods crop having a high market potential. Studies that D. nobile plants, exposed to 13 °C, produced flowers regardless of photoperiod. Plant materials and growing conditions. The best flowering performance in two no- One-year-old liners of Dendrobium Sea Mary bile dendrobium cultivars, D. Snowflake ‘Snow King’, a D. nobile hybrid propagated Received for publication 25 Mar. 2008. Accepted ‘Red Star’ and D. Hinode ‘Toutenkou’, was from single-node cuttings and planted in for publication 6 June 2008. achieved when cooling plants at 15 to 20 °C/ sphagnum moss with an average pseudobulb We thank the Fred C. Gloeckner Foundation, 10 to 12.5 °C (8 h day/16 h night) for 40 d (i.e., a thickened portion of the stem in Norman Fang and his family, and the American (Sinoda et al., 1988). orchids functioning as a water and food Orchid Society for funding the project. 1 Besides the nobile-type dendrobiums, storage organ) height of 7 to 10 cm, were Graduate Research Assistant. several other dendrobiums also require low shipped from Yamamoto Dendrobiums in 2Associate Professor. 3Professor. Current address: Matsui Nursery, Salinas, temperatures for flower induction. Flower Mountain View, HI. Plants arrived at Texas CA. initiation in D. phalaenopsis Fitzg. was A&M University, College Station on 15 Feb. 4Assistant Professor. induced by low temperature of 13 °C regard- 2006 and were immediately potted into 10.2- 5To whom reprint requests should be addressed; less of daylength (Rotor, 1952, 1959). In cm (top diameter, 414 mL vol.) standard e-mail [email protected] nature, the inflorescence of D. crumenatum green plastic pots and placed in a greenhouse HORTSCIENCE VOL. 43(6) OCTOBER 2008 1765 JOBNAME: horts 43#6 2008 PAGE: 2 OUTPUT: August 20 15:29:49 2008 tsp/horts/171632/02915 having glass walls and a polycarbonate roof. needed to reduce light level, overheating, or included in statistical analysis), continued The root substrate consisted of two parts of severe temperature drop in the greenhouse. receiving nutrients at 0.67 gÁL–1 throughout coarse peat (Sunshine Peat; Sun Gro Horti- Pots were irrigated as needed with a nutrient the experimental period, and remained in the culture, Bellevue, WA), one part coarse solution made with RO water and a 15N– greenhouse without cooling. perlite, and one part No. 3 grade diatomite 2.2P–12.5K (Peters Excel 15-5-15 Cal-Mag; Experiment in Weslaco. A similar exper- (Diatomite USA, Elma, NY) amended with Scotts) water-soluble fertilizer at 0.67 gÁL–1. iment was conducted in Weslaco, TX. All powdered Micromax (Scotts, Marysville, Plain RO water was used after nutrient plant materials and cultural treatments were OH) at 1 gÁL–1 as a source of micronutrients application was ended on 1 Sept. 2006. the same as used in College Station unless and powdered dolomitic limestone at 5 gÁL–1. Pesticides [Bacillus thuringiensis (Gnatrol); stated otherwise. The experiment was a 3 · 5 A wetting agent, Aqua Gro 2000 G (Scotts), Valent BioSciences Corporation, Liberty- factorial with three cooling temperatures was added to the medium at 0.5 gÁL–1. ville, IL; azadirachtin (Azatin) and cyfluthrin (constant 15, 18, and 21 °C) and five dura- Plants were potted with the root substrate (Decathlon), OHP, Mainland, PA; imidaclo- tions (3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 weeks). A randomized packed tightly to secure them in place when prid (Marathon II), OHP] were applied when complete block design with 15 replications lifted up only by the upper portion of the necessary to control fungus gnats, caterpil- was used. A total of 225 vegetatively prop- pseudobulbs. Immediately after potting, lars, and mealy bugs, respectively. agated nobile dendrobium plants were used. plants were irrigated with reverse osmosis The experiment was a 4 · 5 factorial with Plants were subjected to cooling treatments (RO) water containing fungicides (etridiazole four cooling temperatures (constant 10, 13, in growth chambers starting on 1 Nov. 2006. and thiophanate-methyl, Banrot 40% WP; 15, and 18 °C) and five cooling durations (2, The average air temperatures from the end of Scotts) at 0.6 gÁL–1 to prevent root rot. Plants 3, 4, 5, and 6 weeks). A randomized complete cooling until full flowering were 26.0 °C day/ were spaced pot-to-pot in 30.8 · 51.4-cm block design with 12 single plant replications 17.0 °C night.