Editors’ Note: This is the fi rst in a six-part series
on research being performed at Michigan State
University in East Lansing.
research
Research at Michigan State University
is under way to improve crop quality
through lighting and PGR use.
Bright
Ideas
in the
Works
By Erik Runkle and Ryan Warner
The fl oriculture program at Mich-
igan State University has a rich his-
tory of applied research, partnerships
with industry leaders, dissemination
of unbiased information, and industry, under-
graduate and graduate education. With industry
guidance and support, we continue to generate
research-based information to advance fl ori-
culture in the United States and beyond. This
article, the fi rst of a six-part series focusing
on fl oriculture research at MSU, summarizes
lighting and plant growth regulator research
to improve crop quality of containerized green-
house crops.
Light provides the energy for plant growth
(photosynthesis) and, in some crops, regulates
the fl owering process. We are fortunate at
Figure 1. Photoperiodic fl owering response of phlox ‘Orange
Perfection’, results of MSU research
26 GPN February 2010 www.gpnmag.com
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