Effects of photoperiod on leaf greenness of four bedding plant species

Short-day (SD) and long-day (LD) photoperiodic treatments were compared, at equal light integral, for their effects on the seedling growth of four bedding plant species: geranium, impatiens, pansy and petunia. Total leaf area was frequently increased by LD given either by day-extension lighting or night-break lighting, but this response was inconsistent and varied greatly between species and experiments. In contrast, leaf greenness measured using a SPAD-502 meter, a measure of chlorophyll content per unit area of leaf, was consistently and significantly increased in LD in all four species. However, night-break lighting may have been somewhat less effective than day-extension lighting. Increasing the day-extension lighting from 16 h to 24 h gave no further intensification of greenness. Consistent with increases in leaf greenness, total dry weight was generally increased in LD, and increases were of a similar magnitude to those given by doubling the daily light integral. The promotional effect of LD on chlorophyll content appears to have been largely ignored or overlooked in recent years, but this may be because simple methods for measuring 'greenness' have only recently become widely available.