The results of these experiments demonstrate that SD
exposure for up to 5 weeks did not induce dormancy in
strawberry plants at normal growing temperatures ranging from
9 to 27 8C, although the plants attained the usual restrained
growth habit. Formation of new leaves was not stopped but
rather enhanced by SD compared with 24-h LD conditions
(Fig. 4), and no chilling was required for re-establishing of
normal leaf and inflorescence elongation and runner formation
under subsequent LD conditions (Figs. 2, 3, 7 and 8). However,
extended SD exposure for 10 and 15 weeks at 15 8C induced the
usual semi-dormant state with reduced growth potential during
subsequent forcing, whereas the same extended SD treatment at
6 8C had no such dormancy-inducing effect (Figs. 6–9). These
results concur with those of Konsin et al. (2001), who reported
that in ‘Korona’ even 7 weeks of SD at 18 8C did not induce
dormancy whereas longer exposure apparently did, while they
are at variance with the results of Verhoeven and Bodson (2004)