Chlorophyll Fluorescence Parameter as a Tool in Selecting Heat-tolerant Summer-flowering Chrysanthemum (Dendranthema ×grandiflorum)

Chrysanthemum ‘Bai Tian Xing’, ‘Huang Ching Chin’, ‘Pink Pearl’, and ‘NCHU-001’ plants were preheated at 35 °C for 24 hours to induce heat tolerance. The recently fully expanded leaves were detached, kept in a moist Ziploc bag, and then subjected to 35, 40, 45, 47.5, 50, 52.5, 55, 60, or 65 °C for 20 minutes. After dark-acclimatized at room temperature for 30 minutes, leaves were measured for Fv/Fm value with a chlorophyll fluorescence parameter. Results showed that ‘Bai Tian Xing’ had the highest critical (Tcrit) and midpoint temperature (Tmid). Mean Tcrit and Tmid were shown to be 47 and 50 °C, respectively, and Tmid gave greater distinguishment of Fv/Fm value among cultivars. Plants of four cultivars were acclimatized at 15 to 40 °C for 3 days and 35 °C being the most effective temperature to induce a heat-tolerant response in chrysanthemum. Required inducing time to reach a stable leaf Fv/Fm value ranged from 4.6 to 11.1 hours among cultivars. All cultivars had similar required time to reach visible bud between summer and autumn crops (except NCHU-001), but all had delayed flowering in the summer crop. There is a negative linear relationship between flowering heat delay and leaf Fv/Fm value (R2 = 0.93). Progenies from reciprocal crossing of ‘Bai Tian Xing’ × ‘NCHU-001’ and ‘Huang Ching Chin’ × ‘Pink Pearl’ were also subjected to treatments for Fv/Fm measurements and observed for time to flowering in the summer crop. All combinations showed negative linear relationship between time to flowering and leaf Fv/Fm value (R2 = 0.70–0.87). Two plants, 109-W001Y and 109-W003Pi, showed early flowering habit and good flower performance under heat conditions were selected. All four cultivars and the two selected lines were measured for photosynthetic parameters under day/night temperatures of 35/30 or 25/20 °C in growth chambers. All cultivars and lines showed decreased net photosynthetic rate and dark respiration rate under 35/30 °C when compared with 25/20 °C. Relatively higher net photosynthetic rate and lower dark respiration rate in ‘Bai Tian Xing’, ‘109-W001Y’, and ‘109-W003Pi’ under 35/30 °C, when compared with the other three cultivars, might have contributed to better flowering performance in the summer.