The Effect of Light Availability on Photosynthetic Responses of Four Aglaonema commutatum Cultivars with Contrasting Leaf Pigment

Abstract

Plants can be grouped into sun- and shade-type owing to their distinct irradiance adaptation. Aglaonema commutatum is a typical shade-tolerant perennial foliage plant native to South Asia with various leaf colorations. ‘Red’ cultivars are widely used for interior decorations and as courtyard ornamental plants, owing to their unique hue and bi-adaptation of both low and high irradiance. However, the underlying source of ‘red’ pigment-dependent irradiance bi-adaptation remains largely unknown. Therefore, four A. commutatum cultivars were comparatively evaluated in terms of pigment composition and photosynthetic rate under full light (sunlight) or 50% full light (shade) to unveil the relationship between pigmentation and irradiance bi-adaptation. Our results showed that the photosynthetic rate of sun leaves generated from light response curves was significantly correlated with anthocyanin content and chlorophyll in red cultivars, suggesting the influence of anthocyanin–light interactions on the high/low irradiance bi-adaptation of red A. commutatum. This study provides a theoretical basis for further cultivating red foliage A. commutatum cultivars under diverse light conditions.