Alstroemeria Cultivars Research Articles

Influence of Cultivar-Dependent Alstroemeria Floral Emissions on Frankliniella occidentalis Host Selection Behavior

Frankliniella occidentalis, commonly known as the western flower thrips (WFT), is one of the world’s most significant cosmopolitan pests. This pest infests many ornamental species, including Alstroemeria, leading to substantial economic losses. F. occidentalis damages flowers, transmits viruses, and causes the rejection of shipments for exports. Farmers have observed variations in the occurrence of F. occidentalis among different Alstroemeria cultivars. It is hypothesized that differences in flower color and odor among cultivars may influence the host-choice behavior of this insect, potentially explaining the observed variations in incidence and damage in the field. To test this hypothesis, we analyzed one year’s worth of sampling data for the occurrence of the WFT complex in a commercial Alstroemeria greenhouse crop. This analysis identified cultivars with high and low thrips incidences. The ‘Himalaya’ and ‘Whistler’ cultivars exhibited the highest incidence, while the ‘Shakira’ and ‘Nora’ cultivars showed the lowest incidence values. To investigate the potential role of host odors in these field incidence differences, we conducted behavioral tests (choice, non-choice, and repellency) using glass boxes where visual stimuli were blocked. These tests confirmed a differential attraction response of thrips to the flowers of Alstroemeria cultivars, although all cultivars were viable options for WFT choice. Preferences under laboratory conditions differed from the incidence observed in the greenhouse, ruling out a repellency effect of some cultivars on insects. This study provides evidence that differential emissions from Alstroemeria flowers can influence host selection by WFT, a phenomenon that warrants further in-depth exploration in future studies.

South and Central America Cut Flower Production and Postharvest Survey

Imports of cut flowers into the United States have doubled in the last 20 years and come mainly from Colombia and Ecuador. We surveyed the cut flower industry in South and Central America, focusing on Colombia and Ecuador, to determine their production and postharvest problems. We received a total of 51 responses, of which 62% of the respondents had 100 or more employees. The most commonly grown or handled crops were rose (Rosa hybrids), carnation (Dianthus caryophyllus), chrysanthemum (Chrysanthemum ×grandiflorum), alstroemeria (Alstroemeria cultivars), gerbera (Gerbera jamesonii), and hydrangea (Hydrangea species), in order of ranking. The most significant production problem was insect management, with disease management and crop timing the next most important issues. The most important species-specific issues in production were phytosanitary problems, disease (causal organism not specified), leaf miner (Lepidoptera, Symphyta, or Diptera), and thrips (Thysanoptera). The main overall postharvest problem was temperature management, followed by hydration and flower food management and botrytis (Botrytis cinerea). In regard to on-farm postharvest handling, damage to the flowers was the most mentioned issue. For the postharvest during storage and transport phase, temperature management, air transport, damage, and botrytis were the most important problems. The most mentioned customer complaints were damage, botrytis, and phytosanitary problems. The results of this survey can be used by researchers to focus their work on topics of most need. Improved production and postharvest handling will support the continued growth of the cut flower industry.

Phototactic response of Frankliniella occidentalis to sticky traps with blue light emitting diodes in herb and Alstroemeria greenhouses

Blue and yellow sticky traps equipped with blue light emitting diodes (LEDs) were evaluated for their attractiveness to the western flower thrips (Frankliniella occidentalis Pergande) and compared to similar traps without light in two greenhouses with commercial production of either mixed herbs or Alstroemeria cut flowers. Blue traps were more attractive to F. occidentalis than the yellow traps in both crops, regardless of whether they were equipped with light or not. In herbs, the blue light equipped traps caught 1.7 to 2.5 times more thrips compared to blue traps without light, and 1.7 to 3.0 times more thrips than yellow traps with light. Blue light on both blue and yellow traps increased thrips catches in one out of two experiments in Alstroemeria. The blue light equipped traps caught 3.4 and 4.0 times more thrips than blue traps without light in coloured and white Alstroemeria cultivars, respectively, whereas yellow light equipped traps increased thrips catches 4.5 times compared to yellow traps without light in both coloured and white cultivars. The yellow light equipped traps caught, however, only equal to or only slightly more thrips than blue traps without light, and caught fewer thrips than the light equipped blue traps. The relative trapping efficiency of the different combinations of trap colour and light varied with experiment, crop and Alstroemeria cultivars. This suggests that factors other than merely the addition of light influenced the thrips' phototactic response to the traps. Such factors could be differences in the relative strength of the competition between attractive signals from traps and plants between the two crops and Alstroemeria cultivars, thrips density, seasonal lighting conditions or different pest management strategies and other operational procedures in the greenhouses. The light from the traps did not increase the thrips population on the plants below the traps. The implications of the results for thrips control and suggestions for further studies are discussed.

Shoot deformation in alstroemeria-a new disorder

A trail was conducted from 2012 to 2015 with nine cultivars of alstroemeria (Alstroemeria hybrida) to know the suitability of different cultivars for round the year production under polyhouse conditions, in temperate climate. Among the nine cultivars, “Rosita” yielded flowers continuously from March to December. Hence, it was advocated for commercial cultivation under polyhouse conditions under temperate climate. While investigating various cultivars for plant foliage and floral traits, few plants in two cultivars i.e. Rosita and No. 14 were found with deformed shoots having more number of leaves, flowers and were different from normal shoots. This new disorder can be called as shoot deformation. This is a new report as far as disorders of Alstroemeria are concerned.

The effect of growth retardants on growth and flowering of dwarf alstroemeria

The experiment was conducted to inhibit the growth of dwarf alstroemeria cultivars 'Rosalina' and 'Dorotea' using flurprimidol and daminozide. Additionally, the effect of these retardants on days to anthesis, flowering shoots number, diameter and longevity of florets was evaluated. In vitro propagated plants, grown in 12 cm pots were treated with single sprays of flurprimidol (7,5, 15, 22,5 mg l<sup>-1</sup>) and daminozide (2500, 3500, 4500 mg 1<sup>-1</sup>) following second pruning, when shoots were 9-12 cm long. Well retarded plants of both dwarf alstroemeria cultivars were obtained when plants were sprayed with flurprimidol at 22.5 mg 1<sup>-1</sup>. Plants treated with daminozide at all tested concentrations were to tall to be grown in 12 cm pots. Flurprimidol significantly reduced the canopy diameter, number of flowering shoots of alstroemeria cultivars 'Rosalina' and 'Dorotea' and floret size of cultivar 'Rosalina'. Daminozide had no effect on the number of days to flower but flurprimidol delayed flowering of tested cultivars only at concentration of22.5 mg 1<sup>-1</sup>. Intensified green leaf colour was observed on flurprimidol treated plants. The chemical names used: a-(1-methylethyl)-a-[4-(trifluoromethyloxy)-phenyl]-5-pyrimidine-methanol (flurprimidol), butanedioic acid mono (2,2-dimethylhydrazide) (daminozide).

Alstroemeria plants and its biotechnological applications

Alstroemeria plants are widely cultivated in many countries especially in Western Europe and North America and popularity has increased in recently due to its long-base life, large variety of colors and low energy requirement during cultivation period. So far, more than 60 species have been released on the commercial market in the world. To meet the demand of consumer and develop the elite Alstroemeria cultivars, conventional breeding including cross-hybridization and selection as well as mutation breeding were used. However, as other important ornamental plants such as lily, rose, carnation and orchids accepted the biotechnological methods, this newly-born approach should be applied and developed an optimized the genetic transformation system. Then, this biotechnological approach can be fused with the conventional breeding methods and thus can be contributed to the production of elite Alstroemeria plants containing agriculturally good genetic traits which are useful for the both farmers and consumers in the future. In this paper, we reviewed the botanical and genetical features of Alstroemeria plants and its biotechnological approaches in the last decades.

FLORAL SCENT EVALUATION IN ALSTROEMERIA THROUGH GAS CHROMATOGRAPHY-MASS SPECTROMETRY (GC-MS) AND SEMIQUANTITATIVE RT-PCR

Alstroemeria is a member of the Alstroemeriaceae family, originally from South America, and is an important cut flower in the European market. Breeding programmes have developed new Alstroemeria varieties focused on aesthetic characteristics and vase life longevity, but little is known about the scent trait. Two scented (A. ‘Sweet Laura’ and A. caryophyllea) and two unscented Alstroemeria (A. ‘Rebecca’ and A. ‘Samora’) cultivars were analysed. Stages of development and senescence were evaluated based on changes in morphology. Scent production was assessed during this development and the stage with maximal scent production was identified. GC-MS analysis was tested to establish whether it could be used as a reliable system to evaluate floral scent of Alstroemeria. Sesquiterpenes were the main group of volatile compounds found in A. ‘Sweet Laura’, while a monoterpene was the only compound identified in A. caryophyllea. A partial cDNA homologous to Quercus ilex mRNA for a putative chloroplast terpene synthase was identified from subtractive cDNA libraries (ALSTER) in the ‘Rebecca’ cultivar. Evaluation of vegetative and reproductive organs showed ALSTER expression as flower-specific for A. caryophyllea and florally enhanced in A. ‘Sweet Laura’. The possible role of this gene is discussed.

EVALUATION OF PRE-FERTILIZATION BARRIERS BY OBSERVATION OF POLLEN TUBE GROWTH AND ATTEMPTS FOR OVERCOMING POST-FERTILIZATION BARRIERS IN INTERGENERIC HYBRIDIZATION BETWEEN ALSTROEMERIA AND BOMAREA BY OVULE CULTURE

In the flower market there is a continuous demand for new cultivars of Alstroemeria as an ornamental flower. Many interspecific hybrids of Alstroemeria are utilized for commercial cultivars. However there is no report about intergeneric hybridization between Alstroemeria and Bomarea. We are investigating the possibility of creating intergeneric hybrids between Alstroemeria and Bomarea. Moreover, ovule culture conditions were examined for overcoming post-fertilization barriers after pollination of Bomarea pollen grains to A. aurea, A. pelegrina var. rosea and A. magenta. The frequency of pollen tube entry into ovules was compared in the pistil of A. aurea, A. pelegrina var. rosea and A. magenta after pollination of B. coccinea pollen grains. Pollen tubes in Alstroemeria ovaries were observed with aniline blue staining 48 hours after pollination. The frequencies of pollen tube entry into ovules were 0.3, 5.6 and 10.0% in A. aurea, A. pelegrina var. rosea and A. magenta, respectively. For ovule culture, pollinated ovaries were harvested 3 and 7 days after pollination, and the ovules were cultured on 2 g L -1 gellan gum-solidified MS medium with or without gibberellic acid, and supplemented with sucrose at different concentrations (30, 60, 80 or 100 g L -1 ). As a result, 3 plantlets were obtained in A. pelegrina var. rosea x B. coccinea cultured on MS medium supplemented with 80 g L -1 sucrose. Although pollen tubes of B. coccinea were reached to A. aurea ovules, this combination might have stronger pre-fertilization barriers than those of A. pelegrina var. rosea and A. magenta. It supposed to be different intensity of pre-fertilization barriers among species. Our data also suggested that sucrose concentration at 80 g L -1 in culture medium was effective to obtain progenies after intergeneric pollination. Confirmation of hybrid natures for the plantlets is now in progress.

Seed enhancement with cytokinins: changes in growth and grain yield in salt stressed wheat plants

Leaf yellowing is a major problem in Alstroemeria and absence of leaf senescence symptoms is an important quality attribute. Two Alstroemeria cultivars ‘Yellow King’ and ‘Marina’ were sourced from a commercial farm and harvested when sepals began to reflex. Stems were re-cut under water and kept in vase solutions of gibberellin A4+7 (0, 2.5, 5.0, 7.5, 10.0, 12.5 or 15.0 mg l−1 [Provide r ]). Treatments and cultivars were combined in a factorial fashion and arranged in a completely randomised design. Application of GA4+7 in the holding solution at 2.5–10.0 mg l−1 significantly delayed the onset of leaf senescence by around 7 days and significantly increased days to 50% petal fall by ca. 2 days. Additionally, these GA4+7 concentrations resulted in higher retention of leaf nitrogen, leaf chlorophyll and also increased leaf water content, while reducing leaf dry weight, all relative to untreated controls. Cultivar ‘Yellow King’ had significantly longer vase life and a better retention of leaf quality than ‘Marina’. Our results suggest that a concentration of 10 mg l−1 GA4+7 can be used to prolong vase life, delay leaf senescence and enhance post-harvest quality of Alstroemeria cut flowers during their transport to market.

Home gardening may be a risk factor for contact dermatitis to Alstroemeria

Background Occupational allergy among florists and people who work in cut flower production of Alstroemeria cultivars (Peruvian lily or Inca lily) has been previously reported. The allergen involved in sensitization is tulipalin A (alpha-methylene-gamma-butyrolactone). Case report We describe the case of a 65-year-old woman who developed severe dermatitis on her right thumb, index and middle fingers and less severe dermatitis on her left palm and front of forearm with occasional itching of the neck and face after taking up home gardening activities, including cutting flowers such as Alstroemeria. Methods The patient and three healthy individuals were submitted to epicutaneous tests with the European standard series, the plant series, and stem portions of three suspected ornamental plants ( Alstroemeria, Lilium and Zantedeschia), garlic, and onion. Results Patch tests performed in our patient, revealed an extreme reaction (+ + +) to Alstroemeria and alpha-methylene-gamma-butyrolactone, a strong reaction (+ +) to propolis and wood tar mix, a weak reaction (+) to balsam of Peru, an irritant reaction to garlic and negative results to diallyl disulfide and the other components investigated. Patch tests performed in the healthy individuals revealed negative. Conclusions We stress the importance of Alstroemeria as a cause of allergic contact dermatitis not only in workers involved in the flower trade, but also in other people that come into contact with this plant in their leisure activities.

6-Hydroxypelargonidin glycosides in the orange–red flowers of Alstroemeria

Two 6-hydroxypelargonidin glycosides were isolated from the orange–red flowers of Alstroemeria cultivars, and determined to be 6-hydroxypelargonidin 3- O-(β- d-glucopyranoside) and 3- O-[6- O-(α- l-rhamnopyranosyl)-β- d-glucopyranoside], respectively, by chemical and spectroscopic methods. In addition, five known anthocyanidin glycosides, 6-hydroxycyanidin 3-malonylglucoside, 6-hydroxycyanidin 3-rutinoside, cyanidin 3-malonylglucoside, cyanidin 3-rutinoside and pelargonidin 3-rutinoside were identified in the flowers.

Thidiazuron—a potent inhibitor of leaf senescence in Alstroemeria

The time to flower senescence and leaf yellowing in 20 cut flower cultivars of Alstroemeria was studied. In deionized water (DI), the time to abscission of the first petal ranged from 9 to 16 days. Time to leaf yellowing ranged from 5 to 18 days. These two processes proceeded independently so that in some cultivars leaf yellowing occurred long before flower senescence, and in others, much later. Thidiazuron (TDZ, N-phenyl-N′-1,2,3-thiadiazol-5-ylurea), a substituted phenylurea with cytokinin-like activity, markedly extended leaf longevity. TDZ was much more effective than two other substituted phenyl-urea compounds tested, in delaying leaf yellowing. A single 24-h pulse treatment with 10 μM TDZ prevented yellowing of isolated leaves for more than 2 months.

Production of interspecific hybrids between Alstroemeria pelegrina L. var. rosea and A. magenta Bayer by ovule culture

Interspecific hybrids were efficiently produced in the cross-incompatible combination between Alstroemeria pelegrina L. var. rosea and A. magenta Bayer by culturing immature ovules with placenta 7–14 days after pollination on 2 g/l Gelrite-solidified MS medium containing 3% (w/v)sucrose. The plants showed intermediate characteristics between the parents and their hybridity was confirmed by karyotype and DNA analyses. The mean number of chromosome association per PMC at metaphase I was 2.60I+6.70II, pollen stainability was20.8%, and they produced viable seeds after self-pollination. Furthermore, mature plants were obtained when the hybrids were backcrossed as male parents with both the parents. The backcross-progeny from A. pelegrina var. rosea × hybrids exhibited 3.8 to 79.7% pollen stainability and that from A. magenta × hybrids 78.8 to 98.3%. Almost all of these plants produced viable seeds after self-pollination, which implies that they can beutilized for breeding of novel cultivars of Alstroemeria.

Alstroemeria production is influenced by thinning method and frequency

The Alstroemeria cultivars King Cardinal and Diamond were grown with soil cooling for 50 weeks under high pressure sodium lamps at a PPFD of 150 μmol m −2 s −1 (photosynthetically active radiation, PAR) for 20 h per day. The total shoot production and the morphology and yield of flowering stems from plants subjected to different thinning practices were recorded. For both cultivars, the total shoot production was higher when stems were thinned and harvested by cutting rather than pulled from the rhizome. The yield of flowering stems was not influenced by technique for thinning and harvest. For ‘Diamond’ the highest yields of stems of marketable quality occurred when 30% of the shoots that remained after harvest were removed every third or every fifth week. For ‘King Cardinal’ the optimal thinning seemed to be a removal of 30 or 60% of the shoots every fifth week. The length of the harvested flowering stems varied to some extent seasonally, and hard thinning resulted in longer stems than more lenient thinning did.

692 Plant Embryo Culture Techniques and Applications

Traditional and biotechnological breeding techniques are being united to develop exciting new plants and to improve existing cultivated plants by introducing natural variability from germplasm resources. Intervarietal, interspecific and intergeneric crosses can be accomplished by using plant embryo culture techniques, sometimes also referred to as embryo rescue. Embryo culture involves the isolation and growth of immature or mature zygotic embryos under sterile conditions on an aseptic nutrient medium with the goal of obtaining a viable plant. The technique depends on isolating the embryo without injury, formulating a suitable nutrient medium, and inducing continued embryogenic growth and seedling formation. The culture of immature embryos is used to rescue embryos from hybrid crosses that were once thought to be incompatible because they would normally abort or not undergo the progressive sequence of ontogeny. The culture of mature embryos from ripened seeds is used to eliminate seed germination inhibitors, to overcome dormancy restrictions, or to shorten the breeding cycle. New and exciting cultivars of Alstroemeria, also known as Lily-of-the-Incas, Inca Lily, or Peruvian Lily, have been bred by using zygotic embryo culture; these techniques and applications will be discussed.

252 Effect of Harvesting Technique and Genotype on Cut Flower Production of Alstroemeria

The effect of harvesting procedures on the production of cut flowers of Alstroemeria was determined by growing six different cultivars from three different response groups with three different harvesting techniques. The orchid-type cultivars tested were `Parigo Red' and `Parigo Pink', the butterfly-type cultivars were `FreedomP', `PatriotP', and `Patricia Lynn', and the hybrid-type cultivar was `Sweet LauraP'. The different harvesting treatments were “cutting,” “pull,” and “no harvesting” (control). Cultivars and treatments were evaluated for date of harvest, number of florets per flowering stem, stem length and number of flowering stems produced per plant. The harvest period covered week 14 to week 34 of 1999. The number of florets produced per inflorescence was not affected by any harvesting treatments. The average length of the flowering stems with butterfly-type and hybrid-type cultivars of Alstroemeria decreased over the period of harvest. These two types of cultivars did not differ from each other as a result of the harvesting technique, but did differ from the control plants that were not harvested. The stems from control plants of the butterfly-type and hybrid-type cultivars were longer than those of the harvested plants. The orchid-type cultivars did not exhibit this “short stem effect” as the other two types of cultivars. In both orchid-type cultivars (`Parigo Red' and `Parigo Pink') and in the hybrid-type cultivar (`Sweet LauraP') the total number of flowering stems that were produced was greater with the “cutting” technique than with the “pulling” technique of harvest. In the case of butterfly-type cultivars, there was no difference of the number of flowering stems produced between the two harvesting systems, but they differed from the control plants.

Optimizing the lighting regime for Alstroemeria with respect to photoperiod and fluence rates

The Alstroemeria cultivars Diamond, King Cardinal and Libelle were grown for 18 months under five lighting regimes with, and without, soil cooling. The aim was to optimize the daily investment of light energy from artificial sources with respect to photoperiod and photosynthetic fluence rates and to elucidate possible links between reactions to photoperiod and root-zone temperature. The more photons (photosynthetically active radiation, PAR) that were supplied to the plants per day (8, 11 and 13 mol m −2), the higher was the total production of flowering stems. The total yield from regimes with 13 mol m −2 day −1 was higher when the light was spread over 20 and 16 h compared to 12 h. In treatments with soil cooling, the plants flowered continuously under all combinations of photoperiods and photosynthetic fluence rates, and the summer and autumn recession in flower production that occurred for non-cooled `King Cardinal' and `Diamond' was the same under all lighting regimes. It is concluded that it might be more cost-effective to spread the daily investment of light over 20 rather than 16 or 12 h when the total energy budget and CO 2 costs are taken into consideration.

Effect of supplementary lighting and CO 2 enrichment on yield and flower stem quality of Alstroemeria cultivars

The effects of CO 2 enrichment and supplementary lighting on the production and flower stem quality of five Alstroemeria cultivars (`Barbara', `Fiona', `Helios', `Mona Lisa' and `Tiara') were studied. CO 2 enrichment up to 900 μl l −1 alone was beneficial for an increase in the number of flower stems and flower stem quality regardless of the use of supplementary lighting. Supplementary lighting alone enhanced flower stem production and quality to a lower extent than CO 2 enrichment. The combination of both supplementary lighting and CO 2 enrichment resulted in superior flower stem production for Alstroemeria `Fiona', `Helios' and `Mona Lisa', and flower stem quality for Alstroemeria `Barbara', `Fiona' and `Mona Lisa'.

An HPLC investigation of flower colour and breeding of anthocyanins in species and hybrids of Alstroemeria

AbstractThe tepals of 28 Chilean species of Alstroemeria and 183 interspecific hybrids were analysed for anthocyanin content by high‐performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The anthocyanins were identified as 3‐rutinosides of 6‐hydroxydelphinidin, 6‐hydroxyeyanidin, cyanidin, and delphinidin and 3‐glyeosides of cyanidin and delphinidin, some of which were acylated with malonic acid. Comparisons of the anthocyanin contents in parents and offspring showed that no anthocyanidin or acylation pattern was dominant, and that offspring values were close to mid‐parent values for the percentage of malonated anthocyanins, whereas the inheritance of cyanidin, 6‐hydroxycyanidin, and delphinidin seems more complicated. Flower colour, hue, and intensity were measured by CIELab in fresh tepals and compared with their anthocyanin content and the estimated flavonoid concentrations. Colour intensity was positively correlated with anthocyanin concentration. Compared with flowers containing exclusively cyanidin 3‐glycosides, the hues of flowers with delphinidin 3‐glycosides were bluer and with 6‐hydroxycyanidin 3‐glycosides redder, respectively. Both malonation of anthocyanin and co‐pigmentation with flavonoids caused a shift to bluish hues, irrespective of the anthocyanidins. By quantifying both chemical and colorimetric characteristics a model for the effect of anthocyanin on Alstroemeria flower colour was established. Breeding of new cultivars of Alstroemeria is discussed.

Light intensive production of Alstroemeria under different combinations of air and soil temperature

Four cultivars of Alstroemeria have been grown for 18 months under high levels of supplementary lighting (180 μmol m −2 s −1) at two air temperatures combined with two soil temperatures (four temperatures for one cultivar). Irrespective of soil temperature and for all cultivars, the production of flowering stems was higher in the treatment with an air temperature set point of 18 °C than in the treatment with 21 °C as set point. The cultivars responded differently to soil temperature. For ‘King Cardinal’ and ‘Amanda’ the production was highest at the lowest soil temperature (14 °C), whereas the optimal soil temperatures for ‘Helios’ and ‘Cinderella’ were 18 °C and 22 °C, respectively. At both soil temperatures the yield from ‘King Cardinal’ and ‘Amanda’ decreased in the hot summer period and in the subsequent autumn. At the highest soil temperature the production of ‘King Cardinal’ nearly terminated at the end of the experiment. It is concluded that the optimum air temperature for a light intensive year-round production of Alstroemeria is well below 21 °C. With exact knowledge about the temperature tolerance and requirements of individual cultivars, it seems possible to obtain a high and sustainable production both with and without soil cooling.