‘Ramata’: A New Dwarf Variegated Hedychium (Ornamental Ginger) Cultivar

Most Hedychium J. Koenig (Zingiberaceae) species have showy and fragrant flowers, which are used in leis and perfumery. Hedychium species are easy to grow and are mostly free of major diseases and pests. The essential oils of some species have been found to have insecticidal, antibacterial, and antifungal activities (Gopanraj et al., 2005; Jadhav et al., 2007; Medeiros et al., 2003). Hedychium plants prefer moist, fertile soil and are considered to be shade plants but will thrive in full sun if provided adequate moisture, and many species will grow and bloom throughout USDA zone 7 (Adams, 1999). Hedychium plants are suitable for landscape use, but their height (up to 2 m or more) generally limits their use as potted plants. Furthermore, Hedychium plants are well known for the diversity of their flower colors, but their green foliage is mostly uniform and lacks variegation. Only three variegated cultivars, Dr. Moy, Tahitian Flame, and Vanilla Ice, are commercially available. These three cultivars are related in that ‘Tahitian Flame’, a selection of Terra Nova Nurseries, Inc. (Canby, OR), occurred as a natural branch mutation of ‘Dr. Moy’ (Korlipara, 2009), and ‘Vanilla Ice’ is a sport of ‘Dr. Moy’ selected by Messenbrink’s Nursery of Nashville, NC. Developing new dwarf compact cultivars with novel foliar characteristics is a major objective of the Hedychium breeding program at the USDA-ARS Thad Cochran Southern Horticultural Laboratory (TCSHL) in Poplarville, MS. Reported here is Hedychium muluense R.M. Smith ‘Ramata’, a compact, dwarf (≈71 cm) cultivar with variegated leaves (Fig. 1A). Both dwarfism and variegation are highly desired but rare traits in Hedychium. This is the first report of both of these traits in one Hedychium cultivar

Alginate Encapsulation of Begonia Microshoots for Short-Term Storage and Distribution

Synthetic seeds were formed from shoot tips of two in vitro grown Begonia cultivars using 3% sodium alginate in Murashige and Skoog medium (MS) salt solution as the gel matrix and 100 mM calcium chloride for complexation. Synthetic seed formation was achieved by releasing the sodium alginate/explant combination into 100 mM calcium chloride (CaCl 2 ⋅H 2 O) solution for 30 or 45 min. Both control and encapsulated shoots were transferred into sterile Petri dishes and stored at 4 ∘ C or 22 ∘ C for 0, 2, 4, 6, or 8 weeks. Conversion of synthetic seeds into plantlets for both storage environments was assessed in MS medium or peat-based substrate. No significant difference was found between the 30 and 45 min CaCl 2 ⋅H 2 O treatments or the two cultivars. Encapsulation of explants improved survival rate over time irrespective of the medium type or storage environment. Survival rates of 88, 53, 28, and 11% for encapsulated microshoots versus 73, 13, 0, and 0% for control explants were achieved in microshoots stored for 2, 4, 6, and 8 weeks, respectively. The best results were obtained when synthetic seeds were stored at 4 ∘ C and germinated on MS medium. Regenerated plantlets were successfully established in potting soil

Combining High-throughput Phenotyping and Multivariate Analysis to Assess Fruit Quality Traits in Southern Highbush Blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum Interspecific Hybrids) Germplasm Collection

Breeding blueberry cultivars with enhanced fruit quality requires simple, accurate, and cost-effective assays to select individuals from segregating populations. In this study, berry diameter, berry weight, firmness, pH, total polyphenol, total acids, D-glucose, D-fructose, total glucose, and total sugar content were quantified in 188 southern highbush blueberry selections and cultivars over 2 years. Significant variation between years, genotype, and year × genotype interaction was detected for all traits. Glucose and fructose were the predominant sugars, and they were in a range of 32.14–64.72 and 28.61–69.63 mg/mL, respectively. Total sugars content ranged from 62.22 to 131.15 mg/mL. Correlation analysis showed a strong positive correlation between total sugar content measured with the discrete analyzer and total soluble solids assessed as Brix (r2 = 0.96). In addition, glucose, fructose, and total glucose showed high and positive correlation between them and with the total sugar content. The titratable acidity was positively correlated with total acids (r2 = 0.60) and strong positive correlation between berry diameter and berry weight (r2 = 0.94) was detected. Principal component analysis (PCA) showed that PC1 explained 44.9% of the variation and the major contributing traits for diversity were D-fructose, D-glucose, total glucose, and total sugars. PC2 accounted for 21.2% of the variation and was mainly attributed to berry weight and diameter. Cluster analysis showed that the blueberry genotypes fell into two major groups. Cluster-I comprised genotypes with the highest amounts of total acids, pH, polyphenol, D-glucose, D-fructose, total glucose, and total sugar, whereas Cluster-II has genotypes with distinctly lower amounts of tested compounds and larger berries. Information obtained from this study is critical to identify superior genotypes for future crosses and advance evaluation. In addition, the firmness tester and discrete analyzer used in this study were invaluable in improving the efficiency and precision of phenotyping

‘Ramata’: A New Dwarf Variegated Hedychium (Ornamental Ginger) Cultivar

Most Hedychium J. Koenig (Zingiberaceae) species have showy and fragrant flowers, which are used in leis and perfumery. Hedychium species are easy to grow and are mostly free of major diseases and pests. The essential oils of some species have been found to have insecticidal, antibacterial, and antifungal activities (Gopanraj et al., 2005; Jadhav et al., 2007; Medeiros et al., 2003). Hedychium plants prefer moist, fertile soil and are considered to be shade plants but will thrive in full sun if provided adequate moisture, and many species will grow and bloom throughout USDA zone 7 (Adams, 1999). Hedychium plants are suitable for landscape use, but their height (up to 2 m or more) generally limits their use as potted plants. Furthermore, Hedychium plants are well known for the diversity of their flower colors, but their green foliage is mostly uniform and lacks variegation. Only three variegated cultivars, Dr. Moy, Tahitian Flame, and Vanilla Ice, are commercially available. These three cultivars are related in that ‘Tahitian Flame’, a selection of Terra Nova Nurseries, Inc. (Canby, OR), occurred as a natural branch mutation of ‘Dr. Moy’ (Korlipara, 2009), and ‘Vanilla Ice’ is a sport of ‘Dr. Moy’ selected by Messenbrink’s Nursery of Nashville, NC. Developing new dwarf compact cultivars with novel foliar characteristics is a major objective of the Hedychium breeding program at the USDA-ARS Thad Cochran Southern Horticultural Laboratory (TCSHL) in Poplarville, MS. Reported here is Hedychium muluense R.M. Smith ‘Ramata’, a compact, dwarf (≈71 cm) cultivar with variegated leaves (Fig. 1A). Both dwarfism and variegation are highly desired but rare traits in Hedychium. This is the first report of both of these traits in one Hedychium cultivar

Evaluation of One-Time Applications of Foliar Applied Auxin Co-Applied with Surfactant for Use in Commercial Cutting Propagation

Use of foliar auxin applications are increasing in the nursery and greenhouse industry. However, previous research has shown that insufficient auxin is absorbed or translocated to the site of action when foliar auxin applications are used. It is theorized that adding surfactants to foliar applications of auxin may help with the absorption and translocation of auxin to the site of action. Research was conducted to determine whether adding surfactants to one-time foliar applications of indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) would be as effective as the current industry standard, the basal quick-dip. Terminal, semi-hardwood cuttings of Red Cascade™ miniature climbing rose (Rosa ‘MOORcap’), common camellia (Camellia japonica) and ‘Southern Charm’ magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora ‘Southern Charm’) were sprayed to the drip point using Hortus IBA Water Soluble Salts™ at concentrations of 0 ppm, 50 ppm, 75 ppm, or 100 ppm for rose cuttings or 0 ppm, 500 ppm, 1000 ppm, or 1500 ppm IBA for camellia or magnolia. To serve as an industry control, the basal end of cuttings was immersed for 3-s in a solution of either 250 ppm, 4000 ppm or 2500 ppm for rose, camellia, or magnolia, respectively. A foliar application of 1500 ppm after sticking was as effective as the basal quick-dip for cuttings of ‘Southern Charm’, while other spray treatments were less effective. A basal quick-dip was more effective than a foliar spray for rooting cuttings of camellia. Auxin rate had no impact on rooting of Red Cascade™ miniature rose. The goal of commercial plant propagation is to produce high-quality rooted cuttings as quickly as possible. Plant propagation places a large demand on labor within the nursery industry, with one recent report being that labor accounts for >50% of a nursery’s budget. Our results from this trial affirm the results reported by similar trials into foliar applications of auxin suggests that the benefits of foliar applications are species dependent Further work is warranted on examining other auxin and surfactant formulations

Chemical Composition, Antifungal and Insecticidal Activities of Hedychium Essential Oils

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