Abstract: Plants of Helianthus tuberosus, variety white tuber, were treated with various daylengths of 4, 6, 8, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 18 h. for 25 days as soon as six leaves on a plant appeard Irradiation for 6–13 h per day induced the plants to form flower buds and flowering, daylength with 14 h or longer kept the plants in vegetative growth. The experiments showed that this variety of Helianthus tuberosus required short days for flowering and the critical daylength was about 13 h. The plants were treated with short days for different durations. At least 17 days were required, Formation of flower buds and flowering had positive correlation with the number of short days over 17 days. After short-day induction, the shorter the daylength is, the more the flower buds inverted. Long-day treatment after an appropriate period of short days wouid reduce the number of flower and induce new vegetative branches from flowering granehes.

Key words: Helianthus tuberoesus, Daylength, Formation of flowering buds, Folwering, Critical daylength, Inversion