노란색 반겹꽃과 편구체 초형을 가진 ‘마루볼(Maru Ball)’ 육성 = Breeding and Development of ‘Maru Ball’ a Yellow Semi-double Garden Chrysanthemum with a Spreading and Oblate Spheroid Growth Habit

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

A new garden chrysanthemum cultivar, “Maru Ball” (Chrysanthemum × morifolium (Ramat.)Hemsl.), was developed at the Flower Research Institute of the Chungcheongnam-do Agricultural Research and Extension Services. The cultivar originated from internal breeding material and was selected through multi-year evaluations emphasizing agronomic performance and ornamental traits. “Maru Ball” is characterized by a spreading, low-mounding growth habit and semi-double capitula with yellow ray florets corresponding to RHS Yellow 14A, while the foliage color corresponds to RHS Green 138B. Quantitative phenotypic assessment revealed an average flower diameter of 3.6 cm, 601.9 flowers per plant, 64.0 ray florets per capitulum, and a mean plant height of 21.0 cm. Compared with the reference cultivar “Smile Ball,” “Maru Ball” exhibits a substantially wider canopy, averaging 57.7 cm in width, and produces slightly larger capitula with a mean diameter of 3.6 cm. Although the number of ray florets per capitulum is lower (64.0) than that of “Smile Ball” (192.9), overall flower production per plant is markedly higher, averaging 601.9 blooms compared with 350.4 in the reference cultivar. Under natural photoperiod conditions, flowering begins in late September, approximately ten days earlier than “Smile Ball.” The cultivar produces basal shoots without pinching, maintains stable vegetative growth during summer, and exhibits strong overwintering ability, indicating broad environmental adaptability. Owing to its prolific flowering, low-mounding canopy architecture, and stable field performance, “Maru Ball” is expected to have high ornamental value for flower beds, borders, roadside plantings, and container production, with strong potential for commercial floriculture and landscape applications.