Abstract
An amaryllis breeding program using diploid species not represented in commercial tetraploid cultivars has been underway since 1988. Objectives are to develop evergreen cultivars with attractive foliage and fragrant flowers of novel form and coloration. Five crosses with Hippeastrum papilio as a parent were evaluated at first flowering in the spring of 1990. The F-1's showed significant variation, suggestive of high heterozygosity within the parental genomes. Several natural tetraploids were identified among the progeny. Superior selections were made, and sib- or intercrosses accomplished. We estimate that a minimum of 50% genes from H. papilio will need to be maintained to guarantee evergreen foliage in the progeny. Superior F-1's have also been crossed with fragrant, trumpet-flowered primary hybrids, and new primary F-1's are being generated with H. papilio and these species or their hybrids, as well as with H. reticulatum var. striatifolium. A percentage of these germinated seedlings have been treated with colchicine to induce polyploidy. The best F-1 selections are also being micropropagated, and induction of polyploidy will be attempted in a percentage of the subcultures.
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