Abstract Detail

Ecological Section

Wildenberg, Amanda [1], Coons, Janice [1], Coutant, Nancy [1].

Royal Catchfly (Silene regia) Floral Development in Response to Photoperiod.

Royal Catchfly, Silene regia, is a prairie forb that is endangered in multiple states. Successful propagation of the species, which may include floral development, is essential to recovery programs. Within Caryophyllaceae, floral initiation often is linked to photoperiod. As S.regia prepares to flower, stems elongate. Our objective was to determine if flowering for S. regia was affected by photoperiod or developmental age. Seeds were planted in high porosity soilless mix with an Osmocote 14-14-14 four-month slow release solid fertilizer at 14.6 g/L. Plants were divided into two groups which were placed in different but identical growth chambers. One group was grown with a long day photoperiod of 16 hours light/8 hours dark with light intensity of 185 µmol/m²/sec. The second group was grown with a short day photoperiod of 8 hours light/16 hours dark with light intensity of 368 µmol/m²/sec. Each group contained 36 plants with three replications of twelve plants each. After 9 weeks, crown diameter was measured. Basal rosette leaves were counted weekly. As elongated stems developed, weekly counts for number of nodes, number of axillary stems, number of flower buds, and number of open flowers were made. Long day plants developed a significantly greater number of elongated stems than the short day plants, with elongated stems developing for 30.6% of plants in long days and for 0% of plants in short days. Short day plants had significantly fewer basal rosette leaves than the long day plants at 9 weeks, but had the same number of basal leaves by 16 weeks. Overall, stem elongation with subsequent floral initiation in S. regia was triggered by a long day photoperiod rather than a short day photoperiod or developmental age. This information is useful for the production of flowering plants when developing genetically diverse populations in natural areas.

Broader Impacts:

1 - Eastern Illinois University, Biological Sciences, 600 Lincoln Ave, Charleston, IL, 61920, USA

Keywords:
photoperiod
flowering
developmental age.

Presentation Type: Oral Paper:Papers for Sections
Session: 32
Location: Forsyth Room/Chase Park Plaza
Date: Tuesday, July 12th, 2011
Time: 11:15 AM
Number: 32005
Abstract ID:335