THE INFLUENCE OF LIGHT AND TEMPERATURE ON THE DYNAMIC BEHAVIOUR OF FICUS BENJAMINA 'EXOTICA'

An information-management-system can be a helpful tool to measure, sort and regulate development of plants in order to achieve a defined marketable product. This paper presents a description of the relationships on which the information-management-system is based.

A definition of visual quality is obtained by linking subjective data, i.e. panel judgement by growers, to objective criteria determined by image processing. The total impression is mainly explained by the density in front-view of the plant of the third and fourth layer and by the width in side-view of the plant of the third layer. The width in front-view of the fourth and fifth layer accounts for only a small percentage of the total impression.

The dynamic behaviour ofFicus benjamina 'Exotica' was studied in order to control crop development to a defined marketable product. Ficus benjamina, propagated from tissue culture showed a very regular growth pattern. Plant features of Ficus benjamina were strongly influenced by temperature and light (spacing). From these experiments a relational diagram was developed.