Calorimetric Analysis of Gerbera Flowers

Abstract

Ligule color of a Gerbera jamesonii H. Bolus ex Hooker population was analyzed with a reflectance spectrophotometer having a spectral capability of 400 to 700 nm and a cv <3% for the variables hue, chroma, and value. The observations for each variable had a continuous distribution; these broad distributions are possibly bimodal. The repeatability of hue, chroma, and value, determined as the correlation between measurements made on plants in December and those made on the same plants the following April, are 0.83, 0.82, and 0.86, respectively. The phenotypic correlations between value and chroma, value and hue, and chroma and hue are -0.35, 0.73, and 0.11, respectively. Some possible biochemical implications concerning the interaction of anthocyanin and carotenoid pigments are discussed. Reflectance spectroscopy and Commission International de l'Eclairage 1976 (L* a* b*) color space notation provide an objective and precise method for incorporating color into a recurrent selection program.