APPLICATIONS OF RADIANT ENERGY

16-5
FIG. 16-4. Effect of increasing the hours of light on "long-day blooming" plants:
a. Scabiosa on right bloomed in 172 days as a result of supplementing daylight with
electrical illumination, b. Orchids without and with 5 weeks of supplemental il-
lumination (135 footcandles).
Some investigators believe that when electrical illumination is used for
forcing or stimulating plant growth there should be a continuous day of
natural and artificial light for the plants. They report that light applied
in the middle of the night for a few hours does not seem to produce the
effects gained when the natural and artificial light combine to make one
continuous period.
Some long-day plants will flower on any length of day from 12 to 24
hours. However, most plants will flower on 16 to 18 hours of light but will
not flower if lighted continuously for longer periods. On this basis some
plants have been made to grow for years without a blossom, and have
flowered when they were put on a reduced-light diet.
The period in the development of plants in which the application of
electric light is most effective varies considerably with the plant. Some
require light throughout life and others during early stages only. In
general, earlier flowering is brought about by lighting during the first half
of the life of the plant. Lighting during the later stage, although it usually
increases stem length materially, has less influence on the date and increase
of flowering, though often it is effective in opening flower buds quickly.
Lengthening the total lighted period to get early bloom can be success-
fully accomplished at relatively low illumination levels. The provision of
5 to 15 footcandles may be commercially profitable. However, this
pia^tice is most likely to succeed where strong healthy plants are used and
where there is an abundance of sunlight during the da}^ The use of low
levels of electrical illumination on weak plants or as a substitute for sun-
light is likely to be a complete failure.