COLORIMETRIC ANALYSIS OF GERBERA FLOWERS

Ligule color of a Gerbera jamesonii H. Bolus ex Hooker population was analyzed with a reflectance spectrophotometer having a spectral capabi lity of 400 to 700 nm and a cv <3 % for the variables hue, chroma, and value. The observations for each variable had a continuous distributi on; these broad distributions are possibly bimodal. The repeatability of hue, chroma, and value, determined as the correlation between measu rements made on plants in December and those made on the same plants t he following April, are 0.83, 0.82, and 0.86, respectively. The phenot ypic correlations between value and chroma, value and hue, and chroma and hue are -0.35, 0.73, and 0.11, respectively. Some possible biochem ical implications concerning the interaction of anthocyanin and carote noid pigments are discussed. Reflectance spectroscopy and Commission I nternationale de l'Eclairage 1976 (L a* b*) color space notation prov ide an objective and precise method for incorporating color into a rec urrent selection program.