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Home My WebLink AboutThe Citizen, 2002-05-08, Page 22Home & Garden 2002 220 King Street Blyth Services provided include: • Organic Lawn Care * Granular, Slow Release Fertilization " Broadleaf Weed & Crabgrass Control Chinch Bug and Grub Control • lawn Aeration Jeff & Janice Peters (519) 523-4366 jpeters@tcc.on.ca GAVIN'S _leesantIntion Services 524-2440 or 1-800-450-4333 No Phone Solicitation MODERN COMPLETE ON-LOCATION CLEANING *Upholstery 'Carpet DISASTER RESTORATION 24 HOUR EMERGENCY SERVICE *Smoke *Fire •Deodorization •Flood Clean-Up & Drying "Serving Huron County For Over 15 Years" PAGE 22. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, MAY 8, 2002. New plant varieties not always hybrids Some people think all new vari- eties are hybrids. This is not true. There are new flowers and vegeta- bles introduced each year that are open pollinated (OP) varieties. To understand the difference between a hybrid and an open polli- nated variety, think of plant genealo- gy. An open pollinated plant has one parent; a hybrid has two parents. In simplest terms, hybrid seed can be defined as the seed that results ' from the cross-pollination of two inbred parent plants. Open pollinated varieties, by contrast, have only one parent line. Many seeds being offered for sale in packets, mail order and at nurseries are F, hybrids but there are a number of classes • where this method of hybridization does not work. New varieties are created by a plant breeder. When a breeder has uniform, genetically stable inbred plants, he or she can consider creat- ing new hybrids. To produce hybrid seed, pollen is moved, often by hand, but possibly by insects or the wind, from the anthers of one inbred plant (male) and placed on the stigma of the second inbred plant (female). The seed that grows as a result of this pollination is 'hybrid seed'. Hybrids are often the preferred type of a variety for a number of reasons. The hybrid parents are chosen to complement each other and/or com- pensate for each other's flaws, creat- ing a new variety that is better than the best qualities of each of the par- ents. Hybrids tend to be very uniform, have better seed quality, and they can be more vigorous plants. Many show other aspects of improved perform- ance such as earlier or more sus- tained flowering, larger flowers, or (NC)—Plants need three basic nutrients to grow: nitrogen, phos- phorus and potassium. Hence, every plant fertilizer formulation is identi- fied by three numbers. The first number is the nitrogen content, the second phosphorous and the third potassium. The numbers represent the amount of each ele- ment in relation to the others. Nitrogen helps plants grow up nice and green, and helps them pro- duce more healthy leaves. If a plant appears pale or weak, a lack of nitro- gen is usually the problem. Nitrogen is the most important plant nutrient, because it promotes food production in the leaves. Phosphorous forms the foundation of the plant. It aids in the develop- ment of roots and stems, creating a strong support system so that nitrogen can be delivered to the plant's foliage. It also encourages larger blooms when the plant is flowering. For a plant to absorb phosphorous, Sts roots must make direct contact with a phosphorous-bearing mole- cule. This means that water-soluble fertilizers deliver phosphorous best. The benefits of _potassium to plants are not fully understood. It certainly acts as a strengthener. It also increases insect and disease resistance. in vegetables earlier or larger fruits. Most large-scale production of F, hybrid seed is produced in green- houses or enclosed shade houses. The female flower plants are grown on greenhouse benvhes and workers place the selected pollen on the receptive female. This control of the cross-pollina- tion is critical for hybrid seed pro- duction. The production structures are enclosed or sealed so that no bees or other pcillen carrying insects enter the structure. In certain cases the creation of hybrid seed is not feasible for sever- al reasons. First, the biology of the plant or the flower configuration are designed for self-pollination result ing in open pollinated plants. In other cases the cost of creating a hybrid plant is prohibitive and the hybrids may not be notably superior. For example, Salvia splendens iiybrids were created, offered by sev- eral companies, and are no longer sold because the hybrids are not noticeably improved over open polli- nated plants. ,Open pollinated flowers or vegeta- bles are often easier and faster to breed and produce. Breeders create new varieties -by selecting "parent" plants by repeatedly self-pollinating progeny over several generations. For instance, a plant breeder may find a plant with an interesting or unique characteristic, either growing in the greenhouse or perhaps even growing in the wild. The breeder would pollinate this plant and grow out large numbers of the second generation as this is where the most variations occur and good combinations of characteristics from the parents are sometimes found. Normally a number of selec- Furthermore, it is believed that potash plays a role in regulating the plant's use of nitrogen. Aside from nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium, there are many other elements that plants require for max- imum growth, but in much smaller quantities. When buying plant fertilizers, it's important to make sure they contain at least small amounts of these ele- ments. These elements include boron, iron, copper, zinc, manganese and molybdenum. - News Canada tions are made in the greenhouse and outdoors. To make sure that the vari- ety is true to type, the best individual plants are chosen, these are self-pol- linated, and the whole process is repeated from as few as three to pos- sibly eight or more times. Production of OP varieties often takes place in acres of fields where thousands of plants are grown. Bees may be provided to enhance pollina- tion, and seed may be harvested by hand or with specialized equipment. The only obstacle is that each variety • or colour must be produced at a loca- tion distant from other varieties or colours so that cross-pollination con- tamination does not occur. The following are examples of well-known garden flowers and vegetables that are F, hybrids or open pollinated. FLOWERS F, Hybrid Open Pollinated Begonia Alyssum Impatiens Calendula Lisianthus Celosia Marigold, American Cosmos Nicotiana Dahlia Petunia Lobelia Seed Geranium Marigold, French Snapdragon Nasturtium Poppy Rudbeckia Salvia Vinca VEGETABLES F, Hybrid Open Pollinated Broccoli Bean, green Cabbage Herbs Pepper Lettuce Tomato Peas Squash, Summer Radish Once the variety has been devel- good quality. oped, named and introduced, the - When a promising line has been work has not ended. Some classes of developed it is then tested under var- OP flowers or vegetables need to be ious climactic conditions. very closely watched as they can Outstanding varieties may be consid- become quite variable for plant or ered for entry in the All-America flower type. 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