The effects of the light intensity on the growth and chlorophyll fluorescence parameters of three evergreen fern species native to Korea

B.K. Jang, K. Park, H.M. Lee, C.H. Lee, C.J. Oh, S.Y. Lee, J.S. Cho
In the global ornamental plant market, the share of ornamental plants native to Korea is very small. The development of new ornamental plants is required to prepare for the implementation of the Nagoya Protocol. In the present study, we investigated the growth and chlorophyll fluorescence reactions of three fern species grown under various indoor light intensity conditions with the aim of evaluating their suitability as indoor ornamental plants. In vitro-cultured seedlings of three evergreen fern species, Athyrium sheareri, Polypodium vulgare, and Dryopteris lacera, were used in the experiment. The plants were cultivated indoors for 10 weeks under different light intensities: 10, 50, 100, and 200 PPFD (μmol m‑2 s‑1), and their growth was compared with that of plants cultivated in a glass greenhouse during the same period. The results showed that compared to the control plants, A. sheareri, P. vulgare, and D. lacera grown under 100-200 PPFD had better overall growth parameters, such as plant height, leaf length, and leaf width. Chlorophyll fluorescence values differed based on the species and light intensity. In A. sheareri, the Fv/Fm and Pi_Abs parameters tended to increase at 50-100 PPFD compared to those at other light intensities, and no significant differences were found between the ETo/RC parameters among the different light intensities. Four investigated parameters indicated that compared to the other two species, P. vulgare was less stressed regardless of the light intensity. In D. lacera, all chlorophyll fluorescence parameters except ETo/RC showed similar tendencies regardless of the light intensity. The ETo/RC parameters indicated that the control and 200 PPFD plants had a lower electron transport efficiency than 10-100 PPFD plants did. We concluded that the three studied fern species grew normally under low-light conditions. In order to corroborate these findings, the growth of these plants under low-light conditions should be studied for periods longer than 10 weeks.
Jang, B.K., Park, K., Lee, H.M., Lee, C.H., Oh, C.J., Lee, S.Y. and Cho, J.S. (2020). The effects of the light intensity on the growth and chlorophyll fluorescence parameters of three evergreen fern species native to Korea. Acta Hortic. 1291, 131-138
DOI: 10.17660/ActaHortic.2020.1291.15
https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2020.1291.15
ETo/RC, DIo/RC, Fv/Fm, Pi_Abs, OJIP analysis
English

Acta Horticulturae