Many flowering plants use light-detecting pigments called phytochromes, which serve to trigger growth and development in response to environmental signals. This response to relative lengths of light and dark periods is known as photoperiodism, and flowering plants respond to seasonal changes in light by flowering at different times of the year.
While many flowering plants in the northern hemisphere produce flowers in the spring and summer (long day/short night plants), some plants only flower in the fall and winter (short day/long night plants).
In the 1940's research was conducted with series of controlled experiments, which involved monitoring flowering plants in light-tight boxes where the length of light and dark was manipulated. The experimental results are summarized in Figure above:
Using data from Figure, what is the question the researchers were attempting to answer?