Photoperiod, irradiance, and temperature affect Echinopsis ‘Rose Quartz’
Plants were then grown under DL only. Percent flowering plants increased as irradiance increased from 0–25 to +75 μmol·m−2·s−1 on uncooled plants, from 0% to 100% as 5 °C exposure increased from 0 to 8 weeks under subsequent SD and from 25% to 100% as 5 °C exposure increased from 0 to 4 weeks under subsequent LD.
As 5 °C exposure duration increased from 0 to 12 weeks (SD-grown) and from 0 to 8 weeks (LD-grown), flower number increased from 0 to 11 and from 5 to 21 flowers per plant across irradiance treatments, respectively. Total production time ranged from 123 to 147 days on plants cooled from 8 to 12 weeks (SD-grown) and from 52 to 94 days on plants cooled for 0–4 weeks to 119–153 days on plants cooled for 8–12 weeks (LD-grown). Flower life varied from 1 to 3 days. BA spray application (10–40 mg·L−1) once or twice after a 12-week 5 °C exposure reduced flower number. Flower development was not photoperiodic.
High flower number (17–21 flowers/plant) and short production time (including cooling time, 120–122 days) occurred when plants were grown at 5 °C for 8 weeks, then grown under LD + 45–75 μmol·m−2·s−1 for 6 weeks (16 hours; 10.9–12.8 mol·m−2·d−1) at a 22/18 °C day/night temperature. Taken together, Echinopsis ‘Rose Quartz’ exhibited a facultative cool temperature and facultative LD requirement for flowering.
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