Ionocidium ‘Cerrado 101’: intergeneric orchid hybrid with high quality of blooming

Jean Carlos Cardoso

doi:10.14295/oh.v23i3.1110

Abstract

Orchids are considered one of the most important potted-flowering in the world. Oncidium genus, as well their hybrids group (OHGs) has used for the flower market as pot or cut flower. However, some horticultural characteristics require improvements, e.g. the production of precocious cultivars, independent-season blooming or easy flowering induction, high quality and durability of flowers and variations in color of flowers, to compete with Phalaenopsis and Dendrobium orchids, as other flower groups. Aiming this purpose there were used hand-crossing pollination between the Oncidium ‘Sweet Sugar’ and Ionopsis utricularioides, a Brazilian wild species, for evaluate the capacity of crossing and to select progenies with interest of use in floriculture as new cultivar. The seeds obtained from this cross were seeded on in vitro conditions, followed by acclimatization and cultivation on greenhouse conditions until de flowering time. One of the plants obtained presented interesting characteristics, as good and rapid vegetative development and high quality of blooming. This hybrid obtained from an intergeneric crossing resulted in a plant with vegetative and flower type characteristics and color similar of Oncidium female parent, but with larger number of ramifications in inflorescence and number of flowers (60% and 219,4%, respectively) than Oncidium parent (♀), and with more similarity with Ionopsis (♂). This hybrid cultivar, called Ionocidium ‘Cerrado 101’ is one more option of OHGs in this competitive market and can be used either for pot and also for cut orchid flowers production, main because it longer inflorescence (83 cm).

Highlights

Oncidium is one of the most important genus of orchids for flower market, together with Dendrobium, Phalaenopsis and Cattleya hybrid groups, and represents one of the genus with most ornamental applications, with several number of species and a large number of interespecific hybrids registered in Royal Horticultural Society and used in floriculture for pot and cut flowers production
‘Sharry Baby’), with red-brown flowers distributed in inflorescences and with a sweet smell that remember chocolate. Ionopsis is another genus from subtribe Oncidiiniae with occurrence in Cerrado vegetation areas and riparian forests, and their ornamental potential and it use for Oncidium Hybrid Groups (OHGs) breeding was previous reported (CARDOSO and ISRAEL, 2005; CARDOSO, 2014)
Some interesting characteristics of Ionopsis utricularioides is the presence of flowers with rose color, associated with the production of more than one inflorescence/blooming/plant and inflorescences with very large number of flowers (CARDOSO and ISRAEL, 2005; CARDOSO, 2014), characteristics that partially are not common in Oncidium species and hybrids, requiring intergeneric crossings for this purpose

Summary

Introduction

Some interesting characteristics of Ionopsis utricularioides is the presence of flowers with rose color, associated with the production of more than one inflorescence/blooming/plant and inflorescences with very large number of flowers (CARDOSO and ISRAEL, 2005; CARDOSO, 2014), characteristics that partially are not common in Oncidium species and hybrids, requiring intergeneric crossings for this purpose. ‘Sweet Sugar’, with general compact size and flowers with big size canary-yellow color, and; a selected plant of Ionopsis utricularioides obtained from a particular collection from author, with good number of inflorescences (3-4/blooming) with typical rose flowers.

Results

Conclusion