Begonia × cheimantha (Christmas or Lorraine begonia) is a popular holiday crop in Europe, with certain cultivars having outstanding postharvest characteristics. Its commercial production in the southern United States has been limited by the occurrence of mottled leaf chlorosis and necrosis, apparently due to environmental stress. In this study, B. × cheimantha `Emma' was grown in the fall in a glass greenhouse at College Station, Texas, under either 0%, 60%, or 87% polyethylene shade cloth. Leaf chlorosis and necrosis was very severe on plants grown in full sun (≈650 mol·m–2·s–1), with slight chlorosis on plants under 60% shade. Plants under full sun, however, were more compact, flowered earlier, and had shorter peduncles with more flowers than those grown under shade. Reducing the vegetative long-day treatment period from 7 to 4 weeks had no effect on leaf damage development. Plants treated with paclobutrazol were shorter and had less leaf damage than untreated plants. Leaves of treated plants had a relatively higher concentration of soluble protein, chlorophyll, and enhanced activities of ascorbate peroxidase (AsA), dehydroascorbate (DHA) reductase, and monodehydro-ascorbate (MDHA) reductase than untreated plants. For Texas growing conditions, these preliminary studies indicate that B. × cheimantha should be grown under reduced light intensities, with excessive height and leaf damage being controlled with growth retardants such as paclobutrazol.
763 PB 307 ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL ON FLOWERING AND GROWTH OF LYSIMACHIA CONGESTIFLORA