Abstract
June-bearing strawberry plants (Fragaria X ananassa, cv. Toyonoka) were grown at 22°/20°C (day/night) under at 10.5-hr daylength for 18 days in order to induce flower buds, and then transferred to a growth chamber maintained at 22°/20°C (day/night) under either a 15-hr (LD) or a 10.5-hr (SD) daylength.
Plants under LD bloomed earlier than did those under SD because the primary clusters of the LD plants emerged earlier than did those of SD plants. The number of days between emergence of the trusses and anthesis was not significantly different under SD or LD. When the primary flowers blossomed, the peduncles subtending them were longer on plants under LD than they were under SD. This difference in peduncle length is attributed to the greater number of epidermal cells which indicate that cell division is prolonged under LD conditions. Insofar as flower buds were initiated under initial SD conditions, early truss emergence resulted in early anthesis.
