• FLOWER RESEARCH JOURNAL
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.157-164
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• 2010

In Chrysanthemum ${\times}$ morifolium, 30 days of continuous short days (SD) are required for flowering. The effects of alternating short day (SD) - long day (LD) - SD treatments was tested in 5 daisy-like single cultivars, 'Limelight', 'Sunlight', 'Candle Light', 'Firebrand', and 'Twilight', Thee other decorative type cultivars, 'Spirit', 'SunburstSpriit', 'Mandalay', and 'Illini Harvest' was also included. Short day treatment was given for 30 days (control: 30SD) and 5 or 10 LD were interposed following 5 or 10 SD. Different responses were noticed when data from all cultivars were combined, showing that flowering was delayed and the number of ray florets were increased by 5 SD-10 LD-25 SD. The number of ray florets, 40 florets in 'Firebrand' and 60.8 florets in 'Candlelight' was increased significantly by 5 SD-10 LD-25 SD as compared to the control. There were no adverse effects by SD-LD-SD treatment, except for the delay in flowering time from 6 to 7 days. The number of ray florets in 'Illini Harvest' and 'Limelight' were, however, not increased by any SD-LD-SD treatments. Cultivar dependent responses should further be investigated in other newly available cultivars, and this information could be used to breed new cultivars.