Grevillea: Breeding and Development of Cut Flowers
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Grevillea: Breeding and Development of Cut Flowers A report for the Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation by P.M. Martin and G.N. Brown July 2007 RIRDC Publication No 07/101 RIRDC Project No US-105A © 2007 Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation. All rights reserved. ISBN 1 74151 498 3 ISSN 1440-6845 Grevillea: Breeding and Development of Cut Flowers Publication No. 07/101 Project No. US-105A The information contained in this publication is intended for general use to assist public knowledge and discussion and to help improve the development of sustainable regions. You must not rely on any information contained in this publication without taking specialist advice relevant to your particular circumstances. While reasonable care has been taken in preparing this publication to ensure that information is true and correct, the Commonwealth of Australia gives no assurance as to the accuracy of any information in this publication. The Commonwealth of Australia, the Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation (RIRDC), the authors or contributors expressly disclaim, to the maximum extent permitted by law, all responsibility and liability to any person, arising directly or indirectly from any act or omission, or for any consequences of any such act or omission, made in reliance on the contents of this publication, whether or not caused by any negligence on the part of the Commonwealth of Australia, RIRDC, the authors or contributors. The Commonwealth of Australia does not necessarily endorse the views in this publication. This publication is copyright. Apart from any use as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, all other rights are reserved. However, wide dissemination is encouraged. Requests and inquiries concerning reproduction and rights should be addressed to the RIRDC Publications Manager on phone 02 6271 4165 Researcher Contact Details Dr. Peter Martin The University of Sydney Plant Breeding Institute PMB 11 Camden New South Wales 2570 Phone: 02 4655 0853 Fax: 02 4655 0875 Email: [email protected] In submitting this report, the researcher has agreed to RIRDC publishing this material in its edited form. RIRDC Contact Details Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation Level 2, 15 National Circuit BARTON ACT 2600 PO Box 4776 KINGSTON ACT 2604 Phone: 02 6271 4100 Fax: 02 6271 4199 Email: [email protected]. Web : http://www.rirdc.gov.au Published in July 2007 Printed on environmentally friendly paper by Canprint ii Foreword The genus Grevillea, with more than 350 species, is one of the more prominent proteaceous components of the Australian flora. With an extensive range of growth habits and floral forms the genus has become popular for garden use throughout Australia. Some of the more upright species, with large inflorescences, have potential for cut flower use, both locally and for the export market. However, a number of problems with the currently used hybrids, including short stems, limited vase life, poor handling qualities and a limited range of flower colours resistant to premature perianth drop, have restricted their acceptance in the cut flower trade. This project is focussed on the development of improved forms for cut flower use, although plants of obvious garden merit will also be commercialised if appropriate. Improved varieties arising from the project will be entered into Plant Breeders Rights protection. It is expected that these will make a valuable contribution to the expansion of this sector of the Australian Wildflower Industry. The research has shown that it is possible to make controlled crosses between hybrids and between species with sufficient facility to make this an attractive genus for commercial plant improvement. A large number of hybrids have been successfully raised from seed and established in the field, where they are now undergoing assessment as they progressively come into flower. This project was funded from RIRDC core funds which are provided by the Australian Government. This report is an addition to RIRDC’s diverse range of over 1600 research publications. It forms part of our Wildflowers & Native Plants R&D sub-program which aims to improve existing products and develop new ones. Most of our publications are available for viewing, downloading or purchasing online through our website: • downloads at www.rirdc.gov.au/fullreports/index.html • purchases at www.rirdc.gov.au/eshop Peter O’Brien Managing Director Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation iii Acknowledgments Thanks are due to the Mount Annan Botanic Garden for access to their grevillea germplasm collection and to The Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney for financial assistance. Thanks are also due to the Grevillea Study Group of the Australian Plants Society for financial support and advice. We acknowledge the contribution of Mr Aftab Ahmad as Technical Officer with the project in its last two years, and also the assistance of Miss Alexandra Freebairn during the conduct of the project, and in the preparation of the final report. Finally, we express appreciation to Mr Peter Abell and Professor Donald Marshall who commenced the project and were responsible for its operation during the first 15 months. iv Contents Foreword............................................................................................................................................... iii Acknowledgments................................................................................................................................. iv Contents.................................................................................................................................................. v Executive Summary ............................................................................................................................. vi What this report is about .................................................................................................................... vi Target Readership .............................................................................................................................. vi Objectives........................................................................................................................................... vi Methods Used..................................................................................................................................... vi Breeding Strategy........................................................................................................................... vi Breeding Technique ...................................................................................................................... vii Germination, growing-on and Assessment.................................................................................... vii Results ............................................................................................................................................... vii Breeding ........................................................................................................................................ vii Other results .................................................................................................................................. vii Implications for Stakeholders........................................................................................................... viii Recommendations ............................................................................................................................ viii 1. Hybrid Grevillea Production............................................................................................................ 1 Introduction ..........................................................................................................................................1 Breeding Strategy.................................................................................................................................1 Breeding Technique .............................................................................................................................2 Collection and germination of seeds and growing-on of seedlings......................................................4 Seed collection .................................................................................................................................4 Germination......................................................................................................................................7 Establishment in the Field ................................................................................................................7 Field Assessment..................................................................................................................................7 2. Results of hybridisation work and discussion................................................................................. 9 Hybridisation Results ...........................................................................................................................9 3. Training to improve the proportion of quality flowers................................................................ 14 Introduction ........................................................................................................................................14 Exploratory trials................................................................................................................................14