We investigated the variations of the flowering response to daylength in Perilla crop (var. frutescens). Seventeen accessions of Perilla crop and one accession of weedy type of var. crispa from China, Korea and Japan were cultivated under three daylength conditions, i.e., short-days, natural daylength and long-days. Most accessions of Perilla crop from China, Korea and Japan were divided into three types, early maturing type, intermediate maturing type and late maturing type by their natural flowering habit. In most of the accessions used, the flowering habit was significantly accelerated by short-day conditions and was delayed by long-day conditions. All the accessions of Perilla crops flowered within 57 days under the 10 hrs light treatment, whereas they did not flower at all even at 170 days after sowing under the 16 hrs light treatment. Thus, this finding suggested that there is a relationship between the types of flowering response to daylength and the geographical distribution which determines the planting season in traditional cultivation practices of Perilla crops. Positive correlation was observed between days to flowering and plant height or internode number in both the short-day and natural daylength conditions. Whereas, correlation was negative between days to flowering and inflorescence length or floret number in natural daylength condition, but it was positive in the short-day condition. Therefore, the daylength condition is considered as the most important environmental factor for flowering habit and morphological characters of Perilla crops. Flowering habit is considered as an important key character for the study of geographical differentiation of Perilla crop in East Asia.

• Ju Kyong Lee
• Ohmi Ohnishi