Abstract
Two experiments were performed to determine how application of the cytokinin benzyladenine (BA) influenced flowering in Doritaenopsis and Phalaenopsis orchid clones. In the first experiment, two vegetative orchid clones growing in 15-cm pots were transferred from a 28°C greenhouse that inhibited flowering to a 23°C greenhouse for flower induction (day 0). A foliar spray (0.2 L m−2) containing BA at 100, 200, or 400 mg L−1 or 25, 50, or 100 mg L−1 each of BA and gibberellins A4 + A7 (BA+GA) was applied on days 0, 7, and 14. Plants treated with BA alone at 200 or 400 mg L−1 had a visible inflorescence 3–9 days earlier and had a mean of 0.7–3.5 more inflorescences and 3–8 more flowers per plant than nontreated plants. The application of BA+GA had no effect on inflorescence number and total flower number at the rates tested. In the second experiment, three orchid clones received a single foliar spray of BA at 200 mg L−1 at six time points relative to time of transfer from 29°C to 23°C (−1, 0, +1, +2, +4, or +6 weeks). A separate group of plants received a BA application at week 0 but was maintained at 29°C. Inflorescence number was greatest in all three orchid clones when plants were treated with BA 1 week after the temperature transfer. Plants that were sprayed with BA and maintained at 29°C did not initiate inflorescences. The promotion of flowering by the application of BA suggests that cytokinins at least partially regulate inflorescence initiation of Doritaenopsis and Phalaenopsis, but its promotion is conditional and BA application cannot completely substitute for an inductive low temperature.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Al-Ramamneh EA, Sriskandarajah S, Serek M (2006) Plant regeneration via somatic embryogenesis in Schlumbergera truncata. Plant Cell Tiss Org Cult 84:333–342
Baker ML, Baker CO (1991) Orchid species culture: Pescatorea, Phaius, Phalaenopsis, Pholidota, Phragmipedium, Pleione. Timber Press, Portland, OR
Bangerth F, Li C-J, Gruber J (2000) Mutual interaction of auxin and cytokinins in regulating correlative dominance. Plant Growth Regul 32:205–217
Bernier G, Périlleux C (2005) A physiological overview of the genetics of flowering time control. Plant Biotechnol J 3:3–16
Bernier G, Havelange A, Houssa C, Petitjean A, Lejeune P (1993) Physiological signals that induce flowering. Plant Cell 5:1147–1155
Blanchard MG, Runkle ES (2006) Temperature during the day, but not during the night, controls flowering of Phalaenopsis orchids. J Exp Bot 57:4043–4049
Bonhomme F, Kurz B, Melzer S, Bernier G, Jacqmard A (2000) Cytokinin and gibberellin activate SaMADS A, a gene apparently involved in regulation of the floral transition in Sinapis alba. Plant J 24:103–111
Boyle TH (1992) Modification of plant architecture in ‘Crimson Giant’ Easter cactus with benzyladenine. J Am Soc Hort Sci 117:584–589
Boyle TH (1995) BA influences flowering and dry-matter partitioning in shoots of ‘Crimson Giant’ Easter cactus. HortScience 30:289–291
Chaudhury AM, Letham S, Craig S, Dennis ES (1993) amp1 – a mutant with high cytokinin levels and altered embryonic pattern, faster vegetative growth, constitutive photomorphogenesis and precocious flowering. Plant J 4:907–916
Chen W-S, Liu H-Y, Liu Z-H, Yang L, Chen W-H (1994) Gibberellin and temperature influence carbohydrate content and flowering in Phalaenopsis. Physiol Plant 90:391–395
Chou CC, Chen W-S, Huang K-L, Yu H-C, Liao L-J (2000) Changes in cytokinin levels of Phalaenopsis leaves at high temperature. Plant Physiol Biochem 38:309–314
Cline MG, Thangavelu M, Dong-Il K (2006) A possible role of cytokinin in mediating long-distance nitrogen signaling in the promotion of sylleptic branching in hybrid poplar. J Plant Physiol 163:684–688
Corbesier L, Prinsen E, Jacqmard A, Lejeune P, Van Onckelen H, Périlleux C, Bernier G (2003) Cytokinin levels in leaves, leaf exudate and shoot apical meristem of Arabidopsis thaliana during floral transition. J Expt Bot 54:2511–2517
Day JS, Loveys BR, Aspinall D (1994) Manipulation of flowering and vegetative growth of brown boronia (Boronia megastigma Nees.) and white myrtle (Hypocalymma angustifolium Endl.) using plant growth regulators. Sci Hort 56:309–320
Day JS, Loveys BR, Aspinall D (1995) Cytokinin and carbohydrate changes during flowering of Boronia megastigma. Aust J Plant Physiol 22:57–65
Dielen V, Lecouvet V, Dupont S, Kinet J-M (2001) In vitro control of floral transition in tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.), the model for autonomously flowering plants, using the late flowering uniflora mutant. J Expt Bot 52:715–723
Dewitte W, Chiappetta A, Azmi A, Witters E, Strnad M, Rembur J, Noin M, Chriqui D, Van Onckelen H (1999) Dynamics of cytokinins in apical shoot meristems of a day-neutral tobacco during floral transition and flower formation. Plant Physiol 119:111–122
Goh CJ (1977) Regulation of floral initiation and development in an orchid hybrid Aranda Deborah. Ann Bot 41:763–769
Gupta S, Maheshwari SC (1970) Growth and flowering of Lemna paucicostata II. Role of growth regulators. Plant Cell Physiol 11:97–106
Hew CS, Yong JWH (1997) The physiology of tropical orchids in relation to the industry. World Scientific, Singapore
Ho YS, Sanderson KC, Williams JC (1985) Effect of chemical and photoperiod on the growth and flowering of Thanksgiving cactus. J Am Soc Hort Sci 110:658–662
Ichihashi S (1997) Orchid production and research in Japan. In: Arditti J, Pridgeon AM (eds) Orchid biology: reviews and perspectives, VII. Kluwer Academic, London, pp 171–212
Jacqmard A, Detry N, Dewitte W, Van Onckelen H, Bernier G (2002) In situ localisation of cytokinins in the shoot apical meristem of Sinapis alba at floral transition. Planta 214:970–973
Kim T-J, Lee C-H, Paek K-Y (2000) Effects of growth regulators under low temperature environment on growth and flowering of Doritaenopsis ‘Happy Valentine’ during summer. J Kor Soc Hort Sci 41:101–104
Lee N, Lin GM (1987) Controlling the flowering of Phalaenopsis. In: Chang LR (ed) Proceedings of Symposium on Forcing Culture of Horticulture Crops, Special Publication 10. Taichung District Agricultural Improvement Station, Changhua, Taiwan, Republic of China, pp 27–44
Letham DS (1994) Cytokinins as phytohormones—sites of biosynthesis, translocation, and function of translocated cytokinin. In: Mok DWS, Mok MC (eds) Cytokinins: chemistry, activity, and function. CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL, pp 57–80
Lindsay DL, Sawhney VK, Bonham-Smith PC (2006) Cytokinin-induced changes in CLAVATA1 and WUSCHEL expression temporally coincide with altered floral development in Arabidopsis. Plant Sci 170:1111–1117
Macháčková I, Krekule J, Eder J, Seidlová F, Strnad M (1993) Cytokinins in photoperiodic induction of flowering in Chenopodium species. Physiol Plant 87:160–166
Mercier H, Endres L (1999) Alteration of hormonal levels in a rootless epiphytic bromeliad in different phenological phases. J Plant Growth Regul 18:121–125
Nash N (2003) Phalaenopsis primer: a beginner’s guide to growing moth orchids. Orchids 72:906–913
Ogawa Y, King RW (1979) Indirect action of benzyladenine and other chemicals on flowering of Pharbitis nil Chois. Plant Physiol 63:643–649
Robinson KA (2002) Effects of temperature on the flower development rate and morphology of Phalaenopsis orchid. MS Thesis, Michigan State University
Roitsch T, Ehneß R (2000) Regulation of source/sink relations by cytokinins. Plant Growth Regul 32:359–367
Rossi G, Marziani GP, Uneddu P, Longo CP (1991) Changes in endogenous levels of three cytokinins during development of excised watermelon cotyledons. Physiol Plant 83:647–651
Rotor GB (1959) The photoperiodic and temperature responses of orchids. In: Withner CL (eds) The orchids: a scientific survey. Ronald Press, New York, pp 397–416
Runkle E, Wang YT, Blanchard M, Lopez R (2005) The orchid grower, part I. Greenhouse Grower 23(8):64–70
Sakai WS, Adams C, Braun G (2000) Pseudobulb injected growth regulators as aids for year around production of Hawaiian dendrobium orchid cutflowers. Acta Hort 541:215–220
Sakanishi Y, Imanishi H, Ishida G (1980) Effect of temperature on growth and flowering of Phalaenopsis amabilis. Bull Univ Osaka Pref Ser B Agr Biol 32:1–9
Sergiev I, Todorova D, Somleva M, Alexieva V, Karanov E, Stanoeva E, Lachkova V, Smith A, Hall M (2007) Influence of cytokinins and novel cytokinin antagonists on the senescence of detached leaves of Arabidopsis thaliana. Biol Plant 51:377–380
Stirk WA, Gold JD, Novák O, Strnad M, Staden JV (2005) Changes in endogenous cytokinins during germination and seedling establishment of Tagetes minuta L. J Plant Growth Regul 47:1–7
Taylor NJ, Light ME, Staden JV (2005) In vitro flowering of Kniphofia leucocephala: influence of cytokinins. Plant Cell Tiss Org Cult 83:327–333
Thomas TH, Blakesley D (1987) Practical and potential uses of cytokinins in agriculture and horticulture. In: Horgan R, Jeffcoat B (eds) Cytokinins: plant hormones in search of a role. Parchments, Oxford, UK, pp 69–83
US Department of Agriculture (2007) Floriculture crops 2006 summary. Agricultural Statistics Board, Washington, DC
Vereniging van Bloemenveilingen in Nederland (2007) Annual report 2006. Association of Dutch Flower Auctions, Leiden, The Netherlands
Wang YT (1995a) Gibberellic acid on Phalaenopsis. Am Orchid Soc Bull 64:744
Wang YT (1995b) Phalaenopsis orchid light requirement during the induction of spiking. HortScience 30:59–61
Werner T, Motyka V, Strnad M, Schmulling T (2001) Regulation of plant growth by cytokinin. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 98:10487–10492
Yoneda K, Momose H (1990) Effects on flowering of Phalaenopsis caused by spraying growth regulators when transferred to highlands. Bull Coll Agric Vet Med Nihon Univ 47:71–74
Zhang K, Diederich L, John PCL (2005) The cytokinin requirement for cell division in cultured Nicotiana plumbaginifolia cells can be satisfied by yeast Cdc25 protein tyrosine phosphatase. Implications for mechanisms of cytokinin response and plant development. Plant Physiol 137:308–316
Acknowledgments
The authors gratefully acknowledge funding by Michigan’s plant agriculture initiative at Michigan State University (Project GREEEN), the Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station, and greenhouse growers providing support for Michigan State University floriculture research. They also thank Mike Olrich for his greenhouse assistance.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Blanchard, M.G., Runkle, E.S. Benzyladenine Promotes Flowering in Doritaenopsis and Phalaenopsis Orchids. J Plant Growth Regul 27, 141–150 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00344-008-9040-0
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00344-008-9040-0