Effects of Gibberellin on the Growth and Flowering of Intact and Decotylized Dwarf Peas

Abstract

THE numerous commercial varieties of garden peas (Pisum sativum L.) are categorized, by their habits of flowering, into two groups defined by distinctly different responses to low temperature and photoperiod. The ‘late’ varieties typically flower above the fifteenth node, require approximately 6–7 weeks to attain anthesis, respond to photoperiod as quantitative long-day plants, and are vernalizable. In contrast, the ‘early’ varieties typically flower at the ninth or tenth node above the cotyledons, require approximately 4 to 5 weeks to attain anthesis, behave as day-neutral plants, and are not vernalizable. Pea varieties are also classifiable as ‘dwarf’ or ‘tall’ on the basis of vegetative growth characteristics.