| 【Objective】A comprehensive evaluation system was constructed to screen the Begonia species / cultivars that can be cultivated in open air and suitable for landscape application in Shenzhen. 【Method】Based on the observation and statistics of 16 traits of 60 Begonia species / cultivars, a comprehensive evaluation system was established from three aspects of ornamental, adaptability and open cultivation performance by using Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). The comprehensive evaluation score of each species/cultivars was calculated by multiplying the score of each evaluation factor of Begonia by the weight value, and 60 species of Begonia were divided to four grades (I~ Ⅳ ) according to the comprehensive evaluation scores. 【Result】 The evaluation results showed 20 Begonia species/cultivars, including B. ‘Pinafore’, B. ‘Ricinifolia’, B. ‘Tiger kitten’, B. ‘Cool Breeze Glacier’, B. U400, B. heracleifolia var. nigricans, B. nelumbiifolia, B. rex, B. Ningming ‘Silver’, B. ‘Painter’s Palette’, B. ‘Cleopatra’, B. ‘First Blush’, B. ‘Mirage’, B. ‘Curly Sue’, B. wangii, B. ‘St. Nick’, B. ‘Palomar Prince’, B. ‘Autumn ember’, B. ‘Daisy’, B. longiciliata were grade I, and they were recommended for priority promotion and application in Shenzhen gardens. Nineteen Begonia species/cultivars were grade Ⅱ, accounting for 31.67%, which were suggested to be popularized in Shenzhen. Fiveteen Begonia species/cultivars were grade Ⅲ, accounting for 25.00%, which could be used as alternative varieties. B. chloroneura, B. cathayana, B. burkillii, B. umbraculifolia, B. foliosa, B. santos-limae were grade IV, and which were not recommended.【Conclusion】Through the constructed comprehensive evaluation system, the application forms of edging plants, vertical greening, ground cover, ecological tanks, themed plant exhibitions, flower borders, flower beds and so on were practiced, and 20 Begonia species/cultivars with good ornamental, strong adaptability and excellent open-air planting performance were selected, which were suitable for application in Shenzhen gardens, so as to provide a reference for the popularization and application of Begonia plants in gardens and the selection of plant configuration. |
