Abstract Freesia hybrida corms were forced under UV-C irradiation and at low temperature of 5 °C for 4 weeks to induce morphological responses associated with plant growth and flowering. Cold treatment… Click to show full abstract
Abstract Freesia hybrida corms were forced under UV-C irradiation and at low temperature of 5 °C for 4 weeks to induce morphological responses associated with plant growth and flowering. Cold treatment (CT) reduced flowering time by up to 12.0 days and increased number of flowers by up to 56%, compared to the non-treated (NT) controls. UV-C irradiation forcing (U-NCT) reduced flowering time by 10.4 days and increased lateral branching and number of flowers by up to 22 and 30%, respectively, compared to the NT. CT was combined to UV-C irradiation forcing, but no additive effects were shown. UV-C irradiation facilitated the production of compact fully bloomed plants indicating that it could be used as an alternative to plant growth regulator treatments.
               
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