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- Author or Editor: John M. Ruter x
Salvia coccinea is a valuable flowering annual that attracts hummingbirds and bees to the garden, but few cultivars are commercially available. There is a limited range of petal colors and no leaf variegation. This research aimed to improve the ornamental value of S. coccinea by inducing mutations with ethyl methanesulfonate (EMS). The standard, red-flowered species was selected for treatment by exposing seeds to 0%, 0.4%, 0.8%, or 1.2% EMS for 8, 12, or 24 hours. The optimal treatment rate was determined to be 1.2% EMS for 8 hours, which generated desirable mutations near the median lethal dose (LD50). The M1 population had a 53% germination rate and was completely morphologically uniform. By the M2, mutations included differences in leaf shape and flower size in addition to albina, chlorina, virescens, and chimeral chlorophyll changes. A 1% mutation rate was achieved in this breeding program with seven unstable mutations and six stable mutations. The normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) values were measured to determine differences in chlorophyll content between lethal albina mutations, chartreuse chlorina and virescens mutations, and typical leaf color. Future work will investigate the stability and heritability of chlorophyll variegation by hybridizing these selections with coral-flowered accessions of S. coccinea.
The effect of container design on physical parameters of media with different bulk densities was evaluated. A significant interaction between container design and media for water-holding capacity and air space was found. A container with a polyester fabric bottom had the largest media air space and the smallest water-holding capacity after 24 h of drainage when placed on a column of sand to allow for free drainage from the container medium. For the media tested, a blend of composted pine bark and hardwood bark (PB:HB) appeared to have good physical characteristics for a container medium in the container designs that were evaluated. Container design should be considered when selecting a container medium because physical parameters of a given medium will be influenced.
Four species of Dissotis and three species of Tibouchina, two genera of the Melastomataceae family, were crossed in an attempt to create interspecific and intergeneric hybrids. Intergeneric crosses set seed at a rate of 18.1% and interspecific crosses had a 32.3% rate of seed set. Germination was extremely poor, with only four crosses having germinated seed. Crosses produced 31 seedlings. Three of the seedlings were from intergeneric crosses between Dissotis canescens and Tibouchina lepidota. Interspecific crosses produced 25 seedlings from crosses between Dissotis princeps and Dissotis rotundifolia and three seedlings from crosses between D. canescens and D. princeps. The prognosis for conventional breeding for species in Dissotis and Tibouchina is poor due to low seed set, poor germination, and slow growth of progeny.
Japanese-cedar [Cryptomeria japonica (L.f.) D. Don] represents an alternative to leyland cypress [×Cuprocyparis leylandii (A.B. Jacks. & Dallim.) Farjon] as an evergreen screen or specimen plant for landscapes. It performs well under a range of soil and environmental conditions but has been underused attributable, in part, to unsightly winter browning caused by photoinhibition. In previous studies, chance seedlings that did not exhibit winter browning were identified as tetraploids. The current study was conducted to induce polyploidy in japanese-cedar. Approximately 600 seedlings were sprayed with 150 μM oryzalin + 0.1% SilEnergy™ for 30 consecutive days under laboratory conditions. Two hundred thirty-seven seedlings with thickened and twisted leaves were selected, transplanted, and grown in a glasshouse for 120 days. Seedling ploidy levels were analyzed using flow cytometry 180 days after treatment (DAT), identifying 197 (83.1%) tetraploids, 22 (9.3%) cytochimeras, and 18 (7.6%) diploids. Morphology of induced tetraploids was similar to that previously described and provided a phenotypic marker during selection that was over 92% accurate. A random subset of 20 tetraploid individuals was analyzed 270 DAT and were found to contain only tetraploid cells in the leaves analyzed, confirming stability over this period. This study demonstrated the use of oryzalin for inducing tetraploids in japanese-cedar, which we predict will be effective in other gymnosperms.
Dissotis rotundifolia (Sm.) Triana and Tibouchina fothergillae ×pilosa are members of the Melastomataceae family with high ornamental potential. The growth habits of these species are not ideal for nursery production or shipping. D. rotundifolia grows rapidly and needs frequent pruning. T. fothergillae ×pilosa has an open growth habit and could benefit from a more compact form. The effect of the plant growth regulator (PGR) paclobutrazol on D. rotundifolia and T. fothergillae ×pilosa was assessed to determine whether it could produce plants with a more compact growth habit. Paclobutrazol was applied as a drench and a spray. Drench application was more effective in reducing the growth of both species. Spray application was effective in reducing the growth of D. rotundifolia but was not effective on T. fothergillae ×pilosa. Neither drench nor spray application delayed or reduced flowering in D. rotundifolia. T. fothergillae ×pilosa did not flower during the study. For both D. rotundifolia and T. fothergillae ×pilosa, neither drench nor spray application had an effect on root dry weight. Low-to-medium dosages were effective at controlling plant growth in D. rotundifolia and T. fothergillae ×pilosa without adverse effects on plants. Drench treatments have more persistent effects on plant growth than spray treatments.
Interspecific and intergeneric crosses were performed between species in the genera Baptisia and Thermopsis with the goal of creating hybrids with the best qualities of both parents. Baptisia australis (L.) R. Br. was used as both the male and female parent in intergeneric crosses. Thermopsis chinensis Benth. ex S. Moore, T. lupinoides (L.) Link, and T. villosa Fernald & B.G. Schub. were used as male and female parents in both interspecific and intergeneric crosses. Pollen was collected from B. alba (L.) Vent., B. bracteata Muhl. ex Elliott, and B. lanceolata (Walt.) Ell. and used to make interspecific and intergeneric crosses. Putative hybrids were obtained from both interspecific and intergeneric crosses. Interspecific crosses produced a higher percentage of pollinations resulting in seed set and the number of seeds per pollination than intergeneric crosses. Morphological differences between parent species and progeny were evident in putative hybrids resulting from intergeneric crosses between T. villosa and B. australis and T. villosa and B. alba. Most putative hybrids bloomed during the second year after germination. Because seedlings could be obtained from both interspecific and intergeneric crosses, hybrids within and between the genera Baptisia and Thermopsis are feasible. The Fabaceae family contains 670–750 genera and 18,000–19,000 species. Baptisia (commonly called false or wild indigo) and Thermopsis (commonly named false lupine) of the Fabaceae belong to the tribe Thermopsidae, which comprises 46 species in six genera. All species in Thermopsis and Baptisia are herbaceous; they are the only two genera in Thermopsidae that do not have woody species. Thermopsis contains 23 species and has a wide-spread distribution with species endemic to Asia and much of temperate North America. Although Thermopsis is considered to have originated in central Asia, T. chinensis Benth. ex S. Moore and T. fabacea (Pallas) Candole are thought to have originated in North America and migrated over the Bering Land Strait to Asia. Three Thermopsis species, T. fraxinifolia Nutt. ex M.A. Curtis, T. mollis (Michx.) M.A. Curtis ex A. Gray, and T. villosa Fernald & B.G. Schub., are native to the southeastern United States. Baptisia contains 15–17 species that are endemic to the southeastern and midwestern United States.
Seasonal, stem and leaf cold hardiness levels of male and female plants of Ilex purpurea Hassk. and Ilex rotunda var. microcarpa (Lindl. ex Paxton) were determined over two winter seasons. The samples for the cold hardiness studies were taken from established plants growing at the Univ. of Georgia Bamboo Farm and Coastal Gardens in Savannah. Each month, 40 stem cuttings (4 to 5 inches long) were sent by overnight mail for evaluation. The plants were prepared for laboratory freezing exposure tests within 2 h of receiving. The samples were visually evaluated after freezing exposure to estimate their cold hardiness. In general, Ilex purpurea was more cold-hardy than I. rotunda var. microcarpa over both seasons tested, except in midwinter (Jan. 1998 and Feb. 1999) where I. rotunda var. microcarpa was more cold-hardy than I. purpurea. Ilex purpurea attained cold hardiness earlier in the fall and lost its hardiness later in the spring. In general, few consistent differences were observed between the cold hardiness of male and female plants within species.
The objective of this study was to determine differences in the bulk anthocyanin content of bark tissue of container-grown red maple (Acer rubrum L. and Acer ×freemanii E. Murray) at two Georgia locations with different environmental conditions. Rooted cuttings and tissue-cultured plantlets of eight cultivars were grown in either Blairsville or Tifton, Ga. [U.S. Dept. of Agriculture (USDA) Hardiness Zones 6b and 8a; American Horticultural Society (AHS) Heat Zones 5 and 8, respectively], from June 1995 until Dec. 1996. Bark tissue from twigs of trees grown in Blairsville was visually redder and contained more total anthocyanin than did that of trees grown in Tifton. Levels of total anthocyanins were higher (P = 0.0007) at Blairsville (0.087 mg·g-1, N = 48) than at Tifton (0.068 mg·g-1, N = 47). At both locations the levels were highest in `Landsburg' (`Firedance'™), followed by `Franksred' (`Red Sunset'™) and `October Glory'. This is the first report to quantify anthocyanin differences in bark tissue of container-grown trees. Cooler nights in Blairsville might have contributed to increased coloration by reducing respiratory losses, thus leaving more carbohydrates available for pigment production.
Stem cuttings of golden euonymus (Euonymus japonicus `Aureo-marginatus'), shore juniper (Juniperus conferta `Blue Pacific'), white indian hawthorn (Rhaphiolepis indica `Alba'), and `Red Cascade' miniature rose (Rosa `Red Cascade') were successfully rooted in plugs of a stabilized organic substrate that had been soaked in aqueous solutions of the potassium salt of indole-3-butyric acid (K-IBA) at 0 to 75 mg·L–1 before inserting the cuttings. Cuttings were rooted under intermittent mist in polyethylene-covered greenhouses with rooting periods appropriate for each species. Rooting percentages showed some increase with increasing auxin concentration with juniper cuttings, but were similar among treatments for the other three species. Number of roots per rooted cutting increased with increasing auxin concentration with cuttings of juniper, Indian hawthorn, and rose, and was greatest using around 60 mg·L-1 K-IBA for cuttings of juniper and Indian hawthorn and 30 to 45 mg·L-1 K-IBA for cuttings of rose.
Temperature sensitivity of net photosynthesis (PSN), dark respiration, and chlorophyll fluorescence was evaluated among three taxa of hollies including I. aquifolium, I. cornuta, and I. rugosa. Variations in foliar heat tolerance among these species were expressed as differential temperature responses for PSN. Temperature optima for PSN was 22.0, 26.3 and 27.9 umol·m–2·s–1 for I. rugosa, I. cornuta, and I. aquifolium, respectively. Differences in temperature optima for PSN and thermotolerance of PSN appeared to result from a combination of stomatal and nonstomatal limitations. At 40°C, potential photosynthetic capacity, measured under saturating CO2, was 4.1, 9.4, and 14.8 μmol·m–2·s–1 for I. rugosa, I. aquifolium, and I. cornuta, respectively. Based on these results, I. rugosa was identified as the most heat-sensitive species followed by I. aquifolium then I. cornuta. Comparative tolerance to root-zone inundation was evaluated among 14 holly taxa. Following 8 weeks of flooding, four of the taxa: I. cornuta `Burfordii', I. × `Nellie R. Stevens', I. cassine, and I. × attenuata `Foster's #2' performed remarkably well during and after flooding with photosynthetic rates > 40% of the controls, root ratings >75% of the controls, <5% of the foliage showing deterioration, and 100% survival. Conversely, I. crenata `Convexa', Ilex × meserveae `Blue Princess', I. rugosa and I. aquifolium `Sparkler' did not tolerate flooding well as indicated by severely depressed photosynthetic rates, deterioration of foliage and roots, and decreased survival. The remaining taxa were intermediate.0