PREMATURE BLOSSOMING: EFFECTS OF VERNALIZATION, SEEDLING AGE AND ENVIRONMENT ON SUBSEQUENT GROWTH AND FLOWERING OF TRANSPLANTED TOBACCO

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Abstract
The phenomenon of premature blossoming (arrested vegetative growth and concomitant flowering) of tobacco when transplanted from seed-bed to field was duplicated under greenhouse conditions. A study was made using the flue-cured vars., Gold Dollar and 402, on the effect of seed vernalization and environmental growth conditions before transplanting of seedlings on the subsequent time required for flowering, height at flowering, and total number of leaves formed. The minimal number of days from sowing to flowering in the greenhouse was 83 days for the Gold Dollar and 87 days for the 402 var. These values were approached only when seedlings of minimal age were transplanted. Plants grown in the field exhibited retarded development since they required 140 to 170 days from sowing to flowering. With increasing age of seedlings used for transplanting, the subsequent time required for flowering, height, and number of nodes at flowering decreased at first but later increased. In expts. continuing into the summer, these trends were minimized or even reversed (height and leaves formed before flowering). Low temps, during the seedling stage intensified these trends. Vernalization of seed and soil moisture content had no effect. Premature blossoming in field tobacco, it is surmised, could be minimized by the use of higher temps, and the later sowing of seed, both tending to decrease age of seedlings when of a size suitable for tansplanting. High temps, during the seedling stage also increased avg. number of leaves formed per plant by about 20% with both vars.

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