Abstract
To clarify the effect of temperature on anthocyanin formation in intact flowers and growth of carnation plants, whole or parts (leaves and flower buds) of plants were exposed to various temperatures.
When whole plants were exposed to the temperature treatments of 15°, 20°and 25°C, reduction in the sizes of leaf, petal and corolla, diameter of stem and color intensity of leaf coincided with the high temperature treatment, and the blooming of the 1st flower under high temperature was earlier than that for the low temperature treatment.
Anthocyanin content and color intensity of petals also declined with the rise in temperature.
When the high temperature treatment was interrupted with low temperature for 6 hours at day or night, the interruption at day stimulated anthocyanin formation as compared with continuous high temperature treatment.
On the other hand, when leaves and flower buds were locally exposed to different temperatures, the degree of anthocyanin formation was mainly affected by the temperature of the flower buds.
The change of anthocyanin formation after alteration of temperature was rapid under both the exposure of whole plants and the local exposure of flower buds.
Sugar content in petals was much higher than that in leaves and most of them was reducing sugar.
Effect of temperature on the sugar content was small in petals as compared with leaves.
