This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via CrossRef Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Lee, T. A. Articles by Powell, R. D. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Lee, T. A., Jr. Articles by Powell, R. D. Agricola Articles by Lee, T. A. Articles by Powell, R. D.

Articles

Flowering and Growth Response of Peanut Plants (Arachis hypogaea L. var. Starr) at Two Levels of Relative Humidity ^1,2

^a Department of Plant Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843

Peanut plants (Arachis hypogaea L. var. Starr) grown under two different relative humidities were used in all experiments. All plants were germinated and grown to flowering in the greenhouse. At this time, one group was moved to a growth room under 95% relative humidity. After 50 days the humidity of the growth room was lowered to 50%. The second group was moved into a growth room at 50% relative humidity and after 50 days the humidity was raised to 95%.

Flowering rates of plants under high humidity were greater than rates of those plants under low humidity. Flowering was stimulated by transfer from low to high humidity, and these plants set the largest percentage of pegs, maintained a high rate of ethylene production by 2-centimeter peg sections, a high growth rate of intact pegs, and they had a higher mean content of gibberellins than plants transferred from a high to a low humidity. The plants in the high to low transfer had the least number of flowers, formed the lowest percentage of pegs, had about 50% less ethylene production by 2-centimeter peg sections, and the peg growth rate declined about 50%.

Maximum ethylene production occurred during initial stages of peg growth (1- to 5-millimeter sections), and gibberellin content was generally higher in these peg sections. Thus, high humidity enhanced flowering, peg formation, and peg growth rate. A causal relationship between these effects of high humidity and the growth regulator status of the developing fruit is indicated.

¹ Cooperative investigations of the Plant Sciences Research Division, Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture and the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station, Texas A&M University.

² Mention of a trademark or proprietory product does not constitute endorsement by the United States Department of Agriculture or Texas A&M University, and does not imply its approval to the exclusion of other products that may also be suitable.