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Hortensias (Hydrangea macrophylla L.) are well known as ornamental plants with their impressive flowers. Besides being an ornamental plant, some hortensia species contain constituents of nutritional and pharmaceutical interest. In this context, H. macrophylla subsp. serrata contains dihydroisocoumarins (DHCs), in particular hydrangenol (HG) and phyllodulcin (PD), which determine produce quality. For the successful cultivation of H. macrophylla subsp. serrata, shading may be required. The response of H. macrophylla subsp. serrata as a source for DHCs was investigated in two growing seasons using three different cultivars ('Amagi Amacha', 'Oamacha' and 'Odoriko Amacha') under three different light conditions: no shade (100% photosynthetic active radiation, PAR), partial (72% PAR) and full shading (36% PAR). The shading regimes had no significant effect on dihydroisocoumarin content in leaf dry matter in each single cultivar. However, 'Amagi Amacha' and 'Oamacha' yielded significantly higher PD content in comparison to 'Odoriko Amacha', which showed, in contrast, the significantly highest HG content. The total biomass was not significantly affected by the shading regime, but slightly higher biomass was observed under partially shaded and full-shade conditions. Hyperspectral vegetation indices (VIs) and color measurements indicate less vital plants under no shade conditions. While lighting is an important growth factor for hortensia production, DHC is cultivar dependent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]