Effect of Shortening Daylength on Flower Bud Differentiation and Crown Development in 'Elsanta' Strawberry

摘要

Strawberry 'Elsanta' runners were evaluated. A first group of runners was taken from tunnel production in June, July and August. They were rooted in pots and planted in field conditions. For half of the plants the daylength was shortened to 11 h per day from 15 July to 1 September by placing a black plastic sheet over the plants from 18 h to 7 h each day. The earlier initiation of flower buds was observed at plants with daylength shortened. By November the plants with daylength shortened had already differentiated the pistil style and ovary, whereas the control plants formed pistil primordium only. In the field that received a short-day treatment plants had shorter petioles but more branch crowns than the control. In autumn, some plants were moved to store to future peat substrate system cultivation and others remained in the field in winter. In the spring the plants which were left outdoors in winter developed more blossom, flowers, flower and fruit buds.