Effects of different shading on leaf growth and flowering characters of Lycoris radiata

As an importantly medicinal and ornamental plant growing in autumn and winter, Lycoris radiata has a big market; however, its cultivation technology is backward. An experiment was conducted to determine the effects of different shading on leaf growth (leaf number, leaf length, leaf width) and flowering characters (floweringtime, flower counts, inflorescence floret number) of L. radiata. The results of this study showed that the increasing shading increased the leaf length and width, decreased the leaf number, postponed the first flower and full bloom, and shorted the flowering period of L. radiate. The maximum number of leaves was found in the control (no shading), and the largest leaf length and leaf width was found in the treatment with 90% shading. The biggest flower count, longest singleflowering time, flowering uniformity and average flower number per truss were observed in the treatment with 45% shading. This study suggested that the optimal shading was 45% for production of L. radiata.