Effect of Light Environment on Flower Opening and Water Balance in Cut Rose

抄録

Technology to control cut flower opening and improve cut flower quality is important to meet consumer demands. We investigated the effects of light environment on flower opening in cut rose. Cut roses were kept under red light-emitting diode (LED), blue LED, and white fluorescent lights, and in constant darkness. We measured their flower opening, petal growth, water uptake, and water evaporation rates. In cut roses subjected to red light treatment, flower wilting was suppressed, and they exhibited a higher petal fresh weight than those subjected to other treatments. The same trend was observed in cut roses without leaves. Water uptake and evaporation rates were significantly higher in cut roses subjected to white fluorescent light treatment than in those subjected to other treatments; however, there was no significant difference when leaves were removed. Thus, water uptake and evaporation did not have relevance in improving the quality of cut roses subjected to red light treatment. Our results showed that light environment strongly affects flower opening and water balance in cut roses. Thus, understanding the response of a cut flower to light stimuli might lead to the development of a new method to control flower opening and water uptake in cut flowers.