Effects of Day Length and Light Intensity on Growth of Barley V. Response by Plants in the Field to Night Interruption

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Abstract
Four varieties of barley (Prior, Noyep, CI 3576, and CI 5611) were grown in field plots and subjected to varying intensities of incandescent light as a 2-hr night interruption. The light treatment accelerated spikelet development, primordlum production, and stem elongation and reduced the number of leaves on the main stem and of grains on the ear. These effects were most pronounced in the variety CI 5611 where illumination commenced prior to floral initiation but were also manifest in the other varieties which were not illuminated before initiation, demonstrating the photoperlodic sensitivity of barley in the later stages of development. The data are discussed in relation to the control of apical morphogenesis in cereals, the use of night interruption in plant breeding, and the investigation of the effects of the environment on cereal growth.