EFFECT OF TEMPERATURE, LIGHT-INTENSITY AN D SUCROSE CONCENTRATION ON BUD FORCING AND CARNATION FLOWER QUALITY

Carnations 'Nora' and 'Coral' were harvested at the bud stage IV to in vestigate the effect of temperature, light intensity, and sucrose conc entration on bud forcing and flower quality. 1. When cut budded carnat ion shoots were forced at 20-degrees, 25-degrees, and 30-degrees-C, at the higher temperature, the days to anthesis were shortened and the v ase life was extended, but the browning of the stem base became more i ntense. But the obvious tendency was not indicated in the total days ( days to forcing + vase life) from harvest. The petal color was close t o normal one at 20-degrees and 25-degrees-C, while it turned into pale at 30-degrees-C by increasing L values with a reduction of a and b va lues in Hunter's readings. 2. 'Nora' developed normal petal color at 0 .2 and 1 klx of light, whereas 'Coral' required 2 and 3 klx to force f lowers with normal petal color. 3. Use of sucrose concentrations rangi ng from 0. 3, 5. 7, 10, and 15% in the forcing solution revealed that as the concentration increased, the flower diameter was increased and vase life was extended. At 7% or higher, dehydration symptoms were obs erved at the tips of the leaves and calyxes. At higher sucrose concent rations, the L values decreased simultaneously as a and b values incre ased in the Hunter's readings; thus, the petal color was intensified. 4. The petal color was considered to be the more important trait than any other characters in the quality of cut flowers. The best forcing c onditions for obtaining the optimum quality of flowers with normal pet al color were : 1) 20-degrees to 25-degrees-C; 2) 0.2 to 1.0 klx for ' Nora' (pale pink) and 2 to 3 klx for 'Coral' (red) ; and 3) a 3% sucro se in the forcing solution.