THE CHARACTERIZATION OF THE BLOOMING OF WOODBINE LONICERA PERICLYMENUM L

This paper presents results of research, conducted in the years 1999-2004, on the infl u-ence of cultivation conditions – light exposure and plant top-dressing – on the blooming of woodbine Lonicera periclymenum L. Seven features of the course and rate of blooming were investigated. Cultivation in twilight and using ammonium phosphate as plant top-dressing, among the experimental factors used, were the most profi table to ornamental values con-nected with blooming.


INTRODUCTION
Woodbine is one of the most beautiful native climbers.The research conducted in the eighties and nineties on its occurrence in the Western Pomeranian region and on its variability and phenology showed considerable differentiation of phenotype populations grown in natural stands in north-west Poland (Z i el i ń s k i , 1996;1997; 1998).It resulted in undertaking further research on the nature of this variability (S m ol i k et al. 2006).Moreover, a question arose: to what degree changes in environmental conditions can affect morphological characteristics of this species, including such factors, so important from the point of view of its cultivation, as the earliness, intensity and length of period of fl orescence.The fi ndings which will answer this question are presented in this work.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
The experiment was carried out in the years 1999-2004 in a plant nursery farm in Szczecin-Zdroje.The experimental material comprised plants reproduced vegetatively from the population 'Nowe Warpno', which was characterized by features typical for the species.
The experiment was established in randomized blocks design.Experimental factors were: light exposure (full insolation -s; twilight, obtained by using shadegiving Isocryl weiß 140/100 with the effect of grading of about 55% -p; shade obtained by using shade-giving Isocryl grau 140/140 giving the effect of grading of about 70% -c), and a form of nitric fertil-izer used as plant top-dressing at a dose of 4 g m -2 (ammonium phosphate -N 1 ; ammonium nitrate -N 2 ; calcium nitrate -N 3 ).
In the experiment, the number of infl orescences with at least one fully developed fl ower was counted twice a week.Within the framework of the experiment, the following features were qualifi ed: 1. beginning of blooming, assumed as the number of days from the appearance of the fi rst fully developed fl ower in the experiment (the fi rst day) to the appearance of the fi rst fl ower on the plant, 2. length of the blooming period, 3. date of the fi rst peak of blooming, defi ned as the number of days from the beginning of blooming to the maximum, simultaneous number of infl orescences with at least one fully developed fl ower, 4. length of the full blooming period, defi ned as the period with at least 50% of the si-multaneous number of infl orescences with at least one fully developed infl orescence, 5. total number of fl owers on the plant, 6. average number of infl orescences with at least one fully developed fl ower on the plant, assumed as an arithmetic mean from the number of such infl orescences ob-served during the following measurements, 7. average number of infl orescences with at least one fully developed infl orescence in the full bloom period.
The obtained results were subjected to an analysis of variance.The means were separated by Tuckey's test at a signifi cance level of p=0.05.Moreover, taking into account all of the investigated characteristics, the test objects were compared one with another to work out a dendrogram of the nearest neighbourhood in the 'Manhattan' urban area.Statistical analysis was performed by STATISTICA.

RESULTS
The results of the conducted experiment showed that the course of blooming of woodbine was differentiated.The shrubs fertilized with ammonium phosphate, grown in twilight and in full insolation began to bloom earliest, between 19 and 22 May.The shrubs top-dressed with ammonium nitrate, grown in shade and in full insolation, and fertilized with calcium nitrate and grown in twilight, began to bloom latest, between 25 and 31 May -(Figs 1, 2).
The factors used in the experiment also had a signifi cant infl uence on the blooming period of woodbine.The longest period, on average 50 days, was noted for the shrubs grown in twi-light and top-dressed with ammonium phosphate (Figs 1, 3).However, the shortest pe-riod, on average 30 days, was observed for the shrubs grown in full insolation and fertilized with calcium nitrate.Statistical analysis distinguished two homogenous groups.The shrubs fertilized with ammonium phosphate belonged to the fi rst group, irrespective of light exposure, while the other shrubs -to the second one.
The peak of blooming occurred earliest, on average in 14 days, in the shrubs grown in twi-light and top-dressed with calcium nitrate, and the latest, on average in 25 days -in the shrubs grown in twilight and fertilized with ammonium phosphate.It was noticed that  Length of full blooming period this occur-rence considerably differed depending on the form of nitric fertilizer and light exposure (Fig. 4).However, because of large differences between the shrubs from the object fertilized with ammonium nitrate, there were no statistically signifi cant differences found.The factors used in the experiment had a significant infl uence on the length of the full blooming period (Fig. 5).On average, the shortest period -12 days -lasted for the shrubs grown in the shade and fertilized with ammonium nitrate, but the longest -24 days -for the shrubs grown in the shade and fertilized with calcium nitrate.Moreover, it was noticed that the shrubs fertilized with each form of nitric fertilizers created a separate homogenous group.
The experimental factors also had a statistically signifi cant infl uence on the intensity of blooming (Tab.1).Table 1 The infl uence of the nitrogen form used as plant top-dressing and of light exposure on the intensity of blooming of woodbine (designations: N 1 , N 2 , N 3 , s, c, p -as in 'Materials and Methods').

Investigated feature Year
Object

Distance of connection
Ammonium phosphate top-dressing, especially in case of the plants grown in twilight and shade, had an infl uence on the increase of the total number of infl orescences and on the mean number of infl orescences in the full blooming period.However, the highest mean number of infl orescences in the whole blooming period was noted for the shrubs fertil-ized with calcium nitrate.It was because these shrubs were characterized by the shortest pe-riod of blooming.
The results of the statistical analysis proved that the factors used in the experiment had an infl uence on all the analysed features of woodbine blooming.These results showed that the form of nitric fertilizer had a greater infl uence on the course and intensity of blooming than light exposure (Fig. 6).

DISCUSION
The form of nitric top-dressing and light exposure had a fundamental infl uence on the blooming dynamics and intensity.The shrubs growing in twilight and in full insolation, and fertilized with ammonium phosphate began the blooming earliest.These shrubs always had the longest period of blooming and the highest total number of infl orescences.The application of calcium nitrate to the shrubs growing in the shade or twilight was the most profi table, tak-ing into account the length of the full blooming period and the mean number of infl orescences in the whole blooming period of woodbine.The shrubs fertilized with this form of nitric dressing, regardless of light exposure, also reached earliest the peak of blooming.A positive infl uence of nitric fertilization and light conditions on the growth, blooming and biochemical and physiological activity of different plants can be noted in numerous publications concern-ing different plant species (for example, C h a ł u p k a and

CONCLUSIONS
The results of the conducted experiment showed that: 1. the factors used in the experiment had an effect on the course and intensity of bloom-ing of woodbine; 2. among the experimental factors, the form of nitric top-dressing had a greater infl u-ence on the course and intensity of blooming; 3. choosing a suitable form of nitric fertilizer gives the possibility of lengthening or in-tensifying blooming of woodbine; 4. the most profi

Fig. 1 .
Fig. 1.The infl uence of the nitrogen form used as plant top-dressing and of light exposure on the dynamics of blooming of woodbine (designations: N 1 , N 2 , N 3 , s, c, p -as in 'Materials and Methods').

Fig. 2 .
Fig. 2. The infl uence of the nitrogen form used as plant top-dressing and of light exposure on the earliness of blooming of woodbine (designations: N 1 , N 2 , N 3 , s, c, p -as in 'Materials and Methods').

Fig. 6 .
Fig. 6.Dendrogram of the nearest neighbourhood designed on the basis of all analysed features of blooming of woodbine (designations: N 1 , N 2 , N 3 , s, c, p -as in 'Materials and Methods').
F o b e r , 1977; M y n e t t , 1984; W e s o ł y et al. 1987; C h ał u p k a , 1993; D e d i o and K o z ł o w s k i , 1998; L i s -K r z y ś c i n , 1999; M i c h a ł o j ć et al. 2003; P o l i t y c k a and G o l c z , 2004; G o l c z and P ol i t y c k a , 2005; G o l c z et al. 2006; M i c h a ł o j ć , 2007), but the aspect of blooming dynamics was not investigated in these research papers.The infl uence of nitric dressing form on the dynamic of plant blooming is not unequivocal.Results of research show that various plants species respond differently to the fertilization with different nitric dressing forms (C h a ł u p k a , 1993; L i s -K r z y ś c i n , 2007).