3. Results
3.1. Experiment 1
During the SD floral induction period the plants gradually
developed a more compact growth habit, so that after 5 weeks in
SD the plants had attained the usual restrained habit with small
leaves on short petioles typical of autumn conditions. When
subsequently transferred to LD conditions, all plants of both
cultivars flowered with one inflorescence regardless of chilling
time and day length during the forcing (Fig. 1), demonstrating
that only the main crown had initiated an inflorescence
primordium during the 5-week SD period. However, in both
cultivars inflorescence appearance was delayed by 1–2 weeks in
SD compared with LD conditions, and in ‘Elsanta’ this effect
was markedly enhanced by the absence of chilling. In plants
forced under LD conditions, however, chilling did not advance
inflorescence appearance in any of the cultivars (Fig. 1).
Similarly, time to first open flower was about one week delayed
in SD compared with LD, whereas chilling advanced flowering