effect of supplemental lighting on winter flowering of transplanted Gypsophila paniculata

Flowering of Gypsophila paniculata L. ’Bristol Fairy’ was promoted by supplemental lighting during the period September to February (fall) and January to June (spring) in greenhouses at latitude 45°N. Plants which received 42 or 63 d of night-time supplemental photosynthetic photon flux (PPF: 2000–0700 h; 93 μmol s −1 m −2 from high pressure sodium lamps) prior to transplanting flowered earlier and showed more vigorous vegetative growth than those subjected to only 21 d of supplemental PPF. Flowering did not occur in the fall crop for plants which received only low-level photoperiod extension lighting (8 μmol s −1 m −2 , 2000–0700 h). Flowering in this cultivar is closely related to PPF during production as well as to photoperiod. Production strategies for northern greenhouses involving supplemental lighting treatments to plants prior to transplanting are suggested by these results.Key words: Gypsophila paniculata, supplemental lighting, flowering, long-day plant