Floral induction in short-day Lemna paucicostata 6746 by 8-hydroxyquinoline, under long days

Abstract

Lemna paucicostata 6746 is a short-day duckweed and flowers in response to a single photoinductive cycle. Its critical dark period requirement is ca. 10 h. Flowering in this duckweed could be induced by 8-hydroxyquinoline (8-HQ) under an otherwise non-inductive long-day regime of 16 h light and 8 h darkness; the critical dark period requirement for initiation of flowering was thus reduced by at least 2 h. However, 8-HQ was ineffective in initiating flowering in strain 6746 under continuous illumination. Atomic absorption analysis of the plant material revealed that the content of both iron and copper is markedly higher in the plants treated with 8-HQ,. A comparison of the effects of 8-HQ and those of EDTA and ethylenediamine-di(o-hydroxyphenylacetic acid), on flowering of strain 6746, has also been made.