Long night treatment for induction of cold hardiness using artificial lights : effects of photoperiod on seedling storability and energy consumption

• Human-assisted forest regeneration in Nordic climates is considerably limited by the harsh outdoor conditions. There is onlya small open window of time during the summer when the weather is favorable for transplantation and establishment ofpre-cultivated seedlings in open land. Greenhouses and modern growth chambers help to cope with this limitation by allowingyear-round seedling cultivation. Nonetheless, production levels are constrained to the cold storage capacity during the nontransplantingseason. This storage is in turn dependent on the ability of the conifer to adapt to freezing temperatures and withstand theoverall stress associated with cold hardening. Long night treatments can induce dormancy with cessation of growth and terminalbuds initiation, leading to a better cold resistance. When growing forest regeneration materials under artifi cial lights, the lengthsof the long night treatment and the photoperiod will have a signifi cant impact not only on the biological response of the seedlingsbut also on the energy consumption, and thus on the CO2 emissions. The aim of this work was to explore different long nighttreatment regimes for induction of cold hardiness in Picea abies and Pinus sylvestris seedlings using artifi cial lights. This wasdone with the purpose of studying the relationship between the energy consumption and the biological responses.

Subject headings

LANTBRUKSVETENSKAPER  -- Lantbruksvetenskap, skogsbruk och fiske -- Skogsvetenskap (hsv//swe)

AGRICULTURAL SCIENCES  -- Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries -- Forest Science (hsv//eng)

Keyword

Forest restoration

LED grow lights

forest nurseries

long-night treatment

cold hardiness

Zephyr, EU projekt inom 7:e ramprogrammet, europeiskt samverkansprojekt för utveckling av ny energisnål och miljövänlig teknik för produktion av skogsplantor

Zephyr, EU projekt inom 7:e ramprogrammet, europeiskt samverkansprojekt för utveckling av ny energisnål och miljövänlig teknik för produktion av skogsplantor

Publication and Content Type

vet (subject category)

kon (subject category)