Horticultural Science and Technology 원예과학기술지 ISSN:1226-8763(Print) 2465-8588(Online)

Jeffersonia dubia is a spring-flowering perennial found in rich forests in Korea and Northern China and has potential as an ornamental or medicinal plant. However, illegal picking and land use change have decreased the number of populations and overall population size of this plant in its natural habitat. Although J. dubia has been reported to be a shade-preferring plant, no study has determined the optimum light intensity for its growth. The objectives of this work were to observe the effects of various shading levels on the physiological responses of J. dubia and to determine the proper shading level for cultivation. Treatments consisted of four shading levels (0%, 50%, 75%, and 95% shade) imposed using black mesh cloth. The number of leaves and dry weight increased with decreased shading. The shoot-to-root ratio increased with increased shading, mainly due to decreased root dry weight under shading. Plants showed low net CO₂ assimilation rates and Fv/Fm values combined with low dry matter levels when grown under 0% shade (full sunlight). These results indicate that J. dubia plants experience excessive irradiance without shading, resulting in damage to the photosynthetic apparatus. By contrast, the net photosynthesis rate increased as the shading level increased. Fv/Fm, the potential efficiency of PSII, was 0.8 under 95% shade, indicating that J. dubia is well-adapted under heavy shading. However, the low dry matter of plants in the 95% shade treatment indicated that the low light intensity under 95% shade led to a decline in plant growth. Thus, moderate light (50% shading) is recommended for cultivating J. dubia without physiological defects.