Researchers develop new Swiss cheese plant cultivar

The Kaohsiung District Agricultural Research and Extension Station has developed a new Swiss cheese plant cultivar featuring green variegated leaves. The Swiss cheese plant has become popular in the international houseplant market amid increased demand for home greening and interior design, the station said. It features leaves with natural splits and perforations, often applied to tropical-style designs and cut foliage for floral arrangements, the station said.

Given the stable demand and market growth potential, it has been cultivating new Swiss cheese plant cultivars for many years, the station said, adding that the goal is to vary the greens of its foliage. The cultivar development project was inspired by international exchange events held more than a decade ago, Station Director Lo Cheng-tsung said.

Station researchers visiting a floral trade show in the Netherlands in 2010 saw Swiss cheese plants with unprecedented variegation patterns on their leaves, he said. In 2011, a demonstration of Swiss cheese plants was presented at a floral trade show in Tokyo, showing that they have promising market potential, Lo said.

The station has been collaborating with the National Atomic Research Institute to develop new varieties with variegated leaves, including applying the technique of gamma-ray seed mutagenesis to generate different variegations, he said.