• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
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• v.50 no.2
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• pp.219-230
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• 2023

Calla lily is one of the most iconic and widely recognized ornamental plants. This study compared the extracts of 11 cultivars of domestic calla lily bred by the National Institute of Horticultural and Herbal Science for their total polyphenol and antioxidant activities. Eleven cultivars were evaluated for their growth and flowering characteristics as per the Manual for Agricultural Investigation Rural Development Administration (RDA) form. The antioxidant activities were measured using 2,2'-azinobis (3-ethylbebzothiazoloine-6-sulfonic acid)-diammounium salt (ABTS⁺) and 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging effect. The plants have an average height of 63.80 ± 5.4 cm, average flower diameter of 7.2 ± 1.1 cm, and width of 12.4 ± 1.7 cm. On average, the diameter and width of leaves were 33.7 ± 3.5 cm and 20.0 ± 1.4 cm, respectively. Extracts of flowers and leaves in the 11 cultivars of white calla lily were compared for their antioxidant activities and total polyphenol contents. ABTS⁺ and DPPH radical scavenging, which are indicative of antioxidant activity, were higher in flowers than in leaves. When comparing by cultivar, we found that 'White Egg' showed the highest antioxidant activity in both the flowers and the leaves. Additionally, we found that by part, the content of total polyphenols was highest in flowers, and by cultivar, it was highest in the 'Swan' and 'White Egg' cultivars. Furthermore, the days to flowering showed correlations with ABTS⁺ radical scavenging, total phenolic contents (TPC), and total flavonoid contents (TFC). Our results indicate that calla lily can be used as breeding material material according to its growth characteristics and as a natural antioxidant source.