Interaction of Temperature and Light Intensity On Flowering of Capsicum frutescens var grossum cv. ‘California Wonder’1

Abstract

Abstract Pepper seedlings, cv. ‘California Wonder’, were exposed for 25 days to a 17 hr photoperiod at a light intensity of 800 to 1600 ft-c and a night temperature of 12 or 18°C. The treatments were initiated when the third, fourth, of fifth true leaf was 1 cm long. More flowers were produced, as a result of increased branching, on plants exposed to the low temperature (12°) or low light intensity (800 ft-c). The response to the temperature and light treatments was greater if the treatment was initiated when the third true leaf was 1 cm long. The low temperature increased the number of days to first anthesis and decreased the number of nodes to the first flower, while light intensity had no influence on either the time of flowering or number of nodes to the first flower.