A novel approach for the selection of Cattleya hybrids for precocious and season-independent flowering

• DOI: 10.1007/s10681-016-1714-2
• Publication Date: 2016-05-06T12:26:16Z
• Authors: Jean Carlos Cardoso; Adriana Pinheiro ...; Jaime A. Teixeira...
• Keywords: Phalaenopsis; Ornamental plant; Dendrobium; Embryo rescue; Cut flowers; Interspecific hybrids

Orchids are one of the most commercialized potted flowers in the world. Cattleya hybrids are highly valued by the international flower market but its horticultural characteristics can still benefit from genetic improvement, particularly the production of precocious cultivars and season-independent flowering. This improvement would allow Cattleya to compete with Phalaenopsis and Dendrobium orchids, as well as with other potted and cut-flower groups. The aim of this work was first to obtain interspecific hybrids between two superior cultivars, Cattleya ‘Pao de Acucar’ and Brassolaeliocattley ‘Sun King’. This was followed by selection among the progeny for precocious flowering and other valuable horticultural and ornamental characteristics. Seedlings grown in vitro were initially selected based on shoot and root development over a period of 6 months, then acclimatized in a greenhouse. From a total of 200 acclimatized plantlets, five (i.e., 2.5 %) flowered 2 years after acclimatization. This was approximately half the time required to flower for most of the remaining progeny. This novel progeny showed gains in most morphological characteristics evaluated relative to their parents. One of the hybrids obtained (‘BR501’) flowered four times a year and had ornamentally and horticulturally important characteristics related to pot-flower production, including novel color, compact plant size, a greater number and larger inflorescences and flowers. This hybrid can be included in further breeding programs of the Cattleya hybrid group.