Iris Laevigata Research Articles

Seed dormancy types and germination response of 15 plant species in temperate montane peatlands.

Despite their crucial role in determining the fate of seeds, the type and breaking mode of seed dormancy in peatland plants in temperate Asia with a continental monsoon climate are rarely known. Fifteen common peatland plant species were used to test their seed germination response to various dormancy-breaking treatments, including dry storage (D), gibberellin acid soaking (GA), cold stratification (CS), warm followed cold stratification (WCS), GA soaking + cold stratification (GA + CS) and GA soaking + warm followed cold stratification (GA + WCS). Germination experiment, viability and imbibition test, and morphological observation of embryos were conducted. Of the 15 species, nine showed physiological dormancy (PD), with non-deep PD being the dominant type. Four species, Angelica pubescens, Cicuta virosa, Iris laevigata, and Iris setosa exhibited morphophysiological dormancy. Two species, Lycopus uniflorus and Spiraea salicifolia, demonstrated nondormancy. Overall, the effect hierarchy of dormancy-breaking is: CS > GA > WCS > GA + CS > D > GA + WCS. Principal component analysis demonstrated that seed traits, including embryo length: seed length ratio, seed size, and monocot/eudicot divergence, are more likely to influence seed dormancy than environmental factors. Our study suggests that nearly 90% of the tested peatland plant species in the Changbai Mountains demonstrated seed dormancy, and seed traits (e.g. embryo-to-seed ratio and seed size) and abiotic environmental factors (e.g. pH and temperature seasonality) are related to germination behavior, suggesting seed dormancy being a common adaptation strategy for the peatland plants in the temperate montane environment.

Over-expression of the Iris laevigata cold-resistance gene MYB97 improves photosynthetic capacity and photoprotection in tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum)

Over-expression of the Iris laevigata cold-resistance gene MYB97 improves photosynthetic capacity and photoprotection in tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum)

WRKY22 Transcription Factor from Iris laevigata Regulates Flowering Time and Resistance to Salt and Drought.

Iris laevigata Fisch. is an excellent ornamental plant in cold regions due to its unique ornamental ability and strong cold resistance. However, the flowering period of the population is only about 20 days, greatly limiting its potential uses in landscaping and the cutting flower industry. In addition, I. laevigata is often challenged with various abiotic stresses including high salinity and drought in its native habitats. Thus, breeding novel cultivars with delayed flowering time and higher resistance to abiotic stress is of high importance. In this study, we utilized sequencing data from the I. laevigata transcriptome to identify WRKYs and characterized IlWRKY22, a key transcription factor that modulates flowering time and abiotic stress responses. IlWRKY22 is induced by salt and drought stress. We cloned IlWRKY22 and found that it is a Group IIe WRKY localized in the nucleus. Overexpressing IlWRKY22 in Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Heynh. and Nicotiana tabacum L. resulted in a delayed flowering time in the transgenic plants. We created transgenic N. tabacum overexpressing IlWRKY22, which showed significantly improved resistance to both salt and drought compared to the control plants. Thus, our study revealed a unique dual function of IlWRKY22, an excellent candidate gene for breeding novel Iris cultivars of desirable traits.

Religiously associated Manipuri Kombirei (Iris laevigata Fisch.): A new addition to the Indian flora

Religiously associated Manipuri Kombirei (Iris laevigata Fisch.): A new addition to the Indian flora

Fruit and seed plumpness, germination and viability of rare plants in Yakutia

Background. With the increasing anthropogenic impact on nature, conservation and renewal of rare and endangered plants in natural cenoses is an urgent problem. Quality assessment, identification of full-fledged plump seeds, and determination of their viability is the way to develop reproduction technologies and provide a possibility of repatriating these species to their natural habitats. Collecting and studying natural flora species in botanical gardens helps to save biological resources of useful species and recommend them for urban landscaping.Materials and methods. X-ray techniques were used to analyze seed quality and viability of rare species in the flora of Yakutia: Adonis sibirica Patrin, Phlojodicarpus sibiricus (Steph. ex Spreng.) Koso-Pol., Iris laevigata Fisch. et C.A. Mey., Iris sanguinea Donn, and Paeonia anomala L. Methods developed for the application of microfocus radiography to fruits and seeds were used in the X-ray analysis.Results. Seed quality was assessed according to guidelines. It was shown that fruits and seeds of the studied species developed under the conditions of Yakutia were full-fledged (plump), but due to the presence of a morphophysiological type of dormancy in them, they could germinate only after a cold or multistage stratification.Conclusion. Assessment of reproductive diaspore quality and viability in rare and endangered plant species of Yakutia will make it possible to develop technologies for increasing their seed germination rates and restoring the natural populations of these species.

WRKY Transcriptional Factor IlWRKY70 from Iris laevigata Enhances Drought and Salinity Tolerances in Nicotiana tabacum.

Drought and high salinity greatly affect plant growth and development. WRKY transcription factors play a key role in plant tolerance to abiotic stress, but the functions of WRKYs in the ornamental monocotyledon Iris laevigata remain largely unexplored. In this study, we cloned IlWRKY70 and found that it is a Group III WRKY localized in the nucleus. The expression of IlWRKY70 was induced by NaCl and PEG-6000, which reached peaks (4.38 and 5.65 times) after 3 h and 1 h, respectively. The exogenous overexpression of IlWRKY70 in N. tabacum significantly improved the resistance under NaCl and drought treatments, as evidenced by higher germination rates, longer root lengths, and increased fresh weights compared to those of control plants. In addition, transgenic seedlings showed significantly reduced wilting, higher photosynthetic performance, higher Fv/Fm and chlorophyll content, and lower stomatal conductance. Moreover, transgenic lines showed higher antioxidant enzymatic activities, lower reactive oxygen species (ROS), and lower malondialdehyde contents. Accordingly, we also found higher expressions of antioxidant defense genes, including SOD, CAT, and POD, in transgenic lines compared to controls under salt and drought stresses. Thus, IlWRKY70 enhances the abilities of salt and drought tolerances in plants, at least partially, via ROS regulation and can be used for breeding I. laevigata possessing enhanced salt and drought resistances.

Identification of MADS-Box Transcription Factors in Iris laevigata and Functional Assessment of IlSEP3 and IlSVP during Flowering.

Iris laevigata is ideal for gardening and landscaping in northeast China because of its beautiful flowers and strong cold resistance. However, the short length of flowering time (2 days for individual flowers) greatly limits its applications. Molecular breeding and engineering hold high potential for producing I. laevigata of desirable flowering properties. A prerequisite is to identify and characterize key flowering control genes, the identity of which remains largely unknown in I. laevigata due to the lack of genome information. To fill this knowledge gap, we used sequencing data of the I. laevigata transcriptome to identify MADS-box gene-encoding transcription factors that have been shown to play key roles in developmental processes, including flowering. Our data revealed 41 putative MADS-box genes, which consisted of 8 type I (5 Mα and 3 Mβ, respectively) and 33 type II members (2 MIKC* and 31 MIKCC, respectively). We then selected IlSEP3 and IlSVP for functional studies and found that both are localized to the nucleus and that they interact physically in vitro. Ectopic expression of IlSEP3 in Arabidopsis resulted in early flowering (32 days) compared to that of control plants (36 days), which could be mediated by modulating the expression of FT, SOC1, AP1, SVP, SPL3, VRN1, and GA20OX. By contrast, plants overexpressing IlSVP were phenotypically similar to that of wild type. Our functional validation of IlSEP3 was consistent with the notion that SEP3 promotes flowering in multiple plant species and indicated that IlSEP3 regulates flowering in I. laevigata. Taken together, this work provided a systematic identification of MADS-box genes in I. laevigata and demonstrated that the flowering time of I. laevigata can be genetically controlled by altering the expression of key MADS-box genes.

Comparative analysis of R2R3-MYB transcription factors in the flower of Iris laevigata identifies a novel gene regulating tobacco cold tolerance.

Breeding for flower cold resistance is a priority for flower breeding research in northern China. The identification of cold resistance genes will not only provide genetic resources for cold resistance breeding, but also form a basis for the study of plant cold resistance mechanisms. Based on the flower transcriptome of Iris laevigata, 20 R2R3-MYBs were identified and comprehensive analysis, including conservative domain, phylogenetic analyses and functional distribution, were performed for R2R3-MYBs. Expression patterns of the abiotic stress genes under cold stress were detected, the upregulated gene was genetically transformed into tobacco, and the related physiological indicators of the transgenic tobacco were measured. A novel cold resistance gene, IlMYB306, was obtained. qRT-PCR indicated that IlMYB306 was dramatically induced by cold stress and was significantly upregulated in roots. The free proline content, MDA, SOD and POD activity of the transgenic tobacco improved after cold stress, and the chlorophyll content decreased slowly. In addition, overexpression of IlMYB306 improved cold resistance of the seeds. SEM results showed leaves of transgenic tobacco had obvious folds, more grooves and bulges on the lower leaf surface. Overall, we report a novel cold resistance R2R3-MYB gene, IlMYB306, in the flower of I. laevigata, which could improve tobacco cold stress tolerance by thickening the waxy layer, increasing antioxidant activity and the content of proline.

Cultivation and Propagation of Iris laevigata Fisch., an Endangered Ethno-medicinal Plant of Imphal Valley Manipur, India

Iris laevigata Fisch., is restricted geographically in Manipur, north eastern India. An experiment was planned with Factorial Randomized Block Design during 2018 to 2020 (3 seasons) in the study plots of ICAR Research Complex for NEH Region, Manipur Centre, Lamphelpat. The study encompasses on the growth and development of I. laevigata seedlings collected from Ipa Thoukok Complex: influenced by spacing, trimming and correlations amongst the growth parameters, so as to validate the most favourable conservation method for this endangered plant. Among the treatments, T6 = S2T3 (45 cm × trimming 40 DAT) was found the best treatment. T9 = S3T3 (60 cm × trimming 40 DAT) was second, T3 = S1T3 (30 cm × trimming 40 DAT) was the third and lowest was found in case of T1 = S1T1 (30 cm × 0 trimming, i.e., without trimming). Strong positive correlation between leaf surface area and plant height on the growth and development was found to be effective among other correlations.

Anoxia tolerance of the rhizomes of three Japanese Iris species with different habitat

The Japanese Iris species, Iris laevigata Fisch., I. ensata Thunb., and I. sanguinea Hornem., have different habitat. However, the physiological basis that can explain the difference in the habitat is not clear. In the present study, the responses in rhizomes to anoxic conditions in the three Iris species were determined. Rhizomes of I. laevigata and I. ensata, which prefer shallow-water areas or wetlands, survived 28 days of anoxia, but those of I. sanguinea, which typically grows on dry land, could not. The activity of alcohol dehydrogenase, a key enzyme in the energy metabolism under anoxia, was detected during anoxic incubation of rhizomes of all the three Iris species, but continued to increase for 28 d only in I. laevigata. Moreover, a substantial increase in the ethanol content of rhizomes was observed only after 7 d of anoxic incubation of I. sanguinea. Although the content of sucrose and storage polysaccharides in the rhizomes of both I. laevigata and I. sanguinea decreased during incubation, the decrease was more pronounced in the latter under anoxia. These results suggest that I. laevigata and I. ensata are successfully adapted to aquatic environment owing to the tolerance of their rhizomes to low-oxygen conditions through the maintenance of energy metabolism.

Ornamental plants for floating treatment wetlands: preliminary results

Floating treatment wetlands (FTWs) represent a novel ecotechnology for the treatment of different types of wastewaters in natural or artificial water bodies, through the use of traditional rooted emergent macrophyte species supported by floating rafts. Although many studies have reported the treatment performances of FTWs, showing an excellent aptitude for removing nutrients, heavy metals as well as suspended solids, the investigation of vegetation has not received much attention up to now, especially for herbaceous ornamental plant species that could form an interesting opportunity to improve water quality and the esthetic-ornamental value of urban water bodies. For this reason, a pilot scale FTW was installed in Northern Italy to assess the growth performances of eleven wetland species having ornamental features: Canna indica L., Pontederia cordata L., Thalia dealbata Fraser ex Roscoe, Acorus calamus L., Juncus effusus L., Iris laevigata L., Mentha aquatica L., Oenanthe javanica (Blume) DC., Caltha palustris L., Sparganium erectum L. and Zantedeschia aetiopica (L.) Srengel. For these species, a suitability index was elaborated that considers plant survivability, above-mat biomass production, nitrogen uptake, root length and root-shoot ratio. On this basis, the results obtained clearly indicated that C. indica, P. cordata and T. dealbata were the most suitable species for FTW due to their high vigor and colonization of the floating mats (1638.9 g m–2, 483.4 g m–2, 566.1 g m–2 of above-mat dry biomass, respectively; 38.8 cm, 62.0 cm, 43.8 cm root length, respectively; 0.8, 0.9, 1.2 root-shoot ratio, respectively), survival (100%), nitrogen uptake (15.1 g m–2, 15.0 g m–2, 15.7 g m–2 respectively). On the contrary, A. calamus, S. erectum and Z. aetiopica did not present adequate features for use in FTWs.

Vegetation and water characteristics of floating mat in a coastal lagoon as the habitat for endangered plant species

BackgroundTo understand the ecological characteristics of floating mat in which endangered species of Iris laevigata and Menyanthes trifoliata inhabit, we surveyed the vegetation and water environments of a floating mat wetland and examined the relations between ecological characteristics of the mat.ResultsAlthough Phragmites australis and Zizania latifolia were found at all experimental quadrats (n = 61) as the major vegetational components of the floating mat wetland, they showed relatively poor growth performances in terms of shoot height (< 2 m) and biomass production (< 300 g/m2) compared with those in soil-based wetlands because of oligotrophic water condition. The competitiveness and distribution of P. australis and Z. latifolia seemed to be determined by water level difference by micro-topography rather than water chemistry.ConclusionP. australis and endangered plant species mainly occurred in the area of relatively shallow water, whereas Z. latifolia and deep-water species such as Scirpus fluviatilis mostly inhabit in the area of deep water on the floating mat. Continuously maintained water level and oligotrophic water condition in the floating mat appeared to be important environments for endangered species such as I. laevigata and M. trifoliata.

An irreversible division of labor through a sexually dependent system in the clonal plant Iris laevigata (Iridaceae)

AbstractScientists were concerned with the division of labor research early, and much current research in clonal plant ecology has proved environmentally induced or a developmentally programmed division of labor. However, the sexually dependent division of labor in clonal plants has received little attention, and few experimental tests have been conducted to date. Here, using reproductive ramets and non‐reproductive ramets in the clonal plant Iris laevigata, we test this hypothesis on morphology and physiology through field and manipulative experiments, including an isotope (15N) labeling method. With regard to morphology, under natural conditions, non‐reproductive ramets of I. laevigata were more abundant, taller, and consisted exclusively of leaves, while the relatively rare, smaller reproductive ramets consisted of leaves, flowers, or seeds. However, the mean biomass of non‐reproductive ramets was nearly half that of reproductive ramets. With regard to physiology, non‐reproductive ramets had a significantly higher net photosynthetic rate over a 24‐h period than reproductive ramets. Furthermore, the reproductive ramets stopped leaf growth when flower buds appeared in late May and lost photosynthetic capacity before late June, while its growing fruits still required a constant supply of many nutrients. Manipulative experiments showed that the non‐reproductive ramets supplied the nutrient demands for reproduction of the reproductive ramets through clonal integration as high as δ15N of the value (196.1 ± 73.39) of the seed. Thereby providing the first clear evidence of sexually dependent division of labor in clonal plants: Certain individuals constitute a very small amount of reproductive castes (reproductive ramets), whereas a large amount of other individuals (non‐reproductive ramets) are “workers” as in social insect societies whose role is primarily as producers. The rapid withering of reproductive ramets that failed to be pollinated highlights their role as irreversibly focused on reproduction, and those unable to reproduce do not contribute to the colony. Additionally, “producer” ramets positively influenced reproductive castes growth, and the division of labor was assumed to underlie the resource allocation pattern among ramets.

Haiku

Haiku Takahashi Mutsuo (bio) Translated by Jeffrey Angles (bio) and Emiko Miyashita (bio) 三界はやせ犬わしる天のがは sangai wa yaseinu washiru amanogawa the three realms arethe river of heavenalong which a skinny dog runs During the late 1940s and early 1950s, Japan was living through the aftermath of war. The country was poor, and the stray dogs and cats were skinny. The ecosystem, however, was rich. We saw bats flying over the town at dusk, and weasels crossing the roads during the day. I particularly remember the beauty of the starry skies of autumn—I would stare in adoration at the shooting stars as I walked back from taking a bath at one of the public bathhouses. Later, the haiku poet Nagata Kōi (1900–1977) took a liking to this haiku and asked me to write it with a brush on a thin strip of paper, which he hung in his study in Suma, located in the city of Kobe. The expression sangai, literally "three worlds," refers to the three realms of Buddhist existence: the realm of desire-driven beings, the realm of beings with form, and the realm of beings without form. Taken together, this expression can be used as a way to refer to the entire world or cosmos. Amanogawa, translated above as "river of heaven," is the Japanese expression for the Milky Way. One senses my youthful brashness in the verb washiru, used in the place of the more common verb hashiru, meaning "run." [End Page 136] ________ 秋の水渡りし人も暮れゆけり aki no mizu watarishi hito mo kureyukeri autumn water—dusk also falls on himwho has already crossed One evening in autumn, I was standing on one side of a shallow river looking at a man as he crossed. By the time he reached the other shore, he had disappeared into darkness. No sooner had I realized this than I became aware that I was also surrounded by darkness. Perhaps I was discovering what it is like to perceive time. This haiku was anthologized as one of ninety poems in Collection of Old Haiku (Kyūkuchō), which appeared in a series of haiku and tanka collections called Fire Pheasant, Water Gardenia (Hi no kiji, mizu no kuchinashi). This series, edited by Masada Kishio, contained commentary by the important tanka poet Tsukamoto Kunio (1920–2005) and was published in 1973 by Yukawa Shobō. ________ 棹ささむあやめのはての忘れ川 sao sasamu ayame no hate no wasuregawa I will guide with my pole—the river of forgetfulnessbeyond the irises I suspect that when I wrote this, I was drawing upon elements from two sources. One appears in the ninth chapter, "Journey to the Eastern Provinces," of the tenth-century classic The Tales of Ise (Ise monogatari), in which the Heian court poet Ariwara no Nari hira visits the Eight Bridges (Yatsuhashi) in Mikawa and composes a nostalgic poem about home while looking at a bunch of blooming irises. The other is the fifteenth-century Noh play Sumida River (Sumidagawa), in which a grieving mother travels with a ferryman in search of her lost son, only to encounter his ghost and learn he had died some time before. The kakitsubata (a rabbit-ear iris, or Iris laevigata), which appears in Tales of Ise here is turned into ayame (a Siberian iris, or Iris sanguinea), while the ferryman guiding the boat with his pole in Sumida River has melded with the image of the traveler from Tales of Ise. The word wasuregawa, literally "forgotten river," also contains two associations. On one hand, it recalls the word wasuremizu, literally "forgotten water," which flows in small, unnoticed rivulets through fields and other places. On the other hand, it can also mean "the river of forgetfulness," as in the river Lethe in Greek myth. One of my habits in writing is to merge associations from the Japanese classics with classics from the rest of the world. [End Page 137] ________ 葉となりし桜を愛づる荒サびかな ha to narishi sakura o mezuru susabi kana a diversionto admire the cherry treesalready in leaves Now, each spring when the cherry trees are in bloom, I want to write about the blossoming trees, but that only started when I turned forty. Not a single haiku about cherry blossoms...

A New Infraspecific Taxon of Iris laevigata (Iridaceae) in Northeast China

A new variety of Iris laevigata Fisch. (Iridaceae) is described from Jilin Province in northeastern China. The new variety I. laevigata var. alba Ling Wang, L. Su & F. J. Shang differs from the typical variety of the species by tepals that are mostly white (vs. dark blue). Further, the color of the anthers is white with a blue tinge in the new variety (vs. entirely blue in the autonymic variety). The diameter of the flower in I. laevigata var. alba is much greater, ca. 12–14 cm (vs. usually 9–10 cm in I. laevigata var. laevigata).

Genomic and EST‐derived microsatellite markers for Iris laevigata (Iridaceae) and other congeneric species

The aims of this study are to develop and characterize genomic and expressed sequence tag (EST)-derived microsatellites from Iris laevigata and test their transferability in I. ensata, I. setosa, I. halophila, I. scariosa, I. potaninii, I. tenuifolia, I. bloudowii, and I. sanguinea. Ten genomic and six EST-derived microsatellites were characterized in I. laevigata. These microsatellite primers amplified one to five alleles in I. laevigata and some of these primers were also successfully amplified in congeneric species. These microsatellite primers provide us an initial set of molecular markers to explore the spatial population genetic structure of I. laevigata. In addition, these markers may also be useful in population and conservation genetic studies of closely related species.

FLOWER SPECIES USED IN AQUATIC LANDSCAPE DESIGN

The modern landscape designs are un-conceived without aquatic landscape design. The aquatic plants are essential for assuring a success ful and attractive landscape, conferring life and color even to the smallest landscape designs. The a ttractively part and mystery of water made landscape designs is not always due to the water mi rrors. It’s also due to aquatic species that reveal the beauty of the aquatic landscape design. We can compare this kind of aquatic specie like a „floating island of green”. Constantly the aquati c landscape design is related to the natural aspect of the water designs in the nature. This how we can find the most suitable plants for the aquatic landscape design. The aquatic landscape designs can be made by using some flower species that are adapted to this kind of environmental conditions. The plants c an be chosen not only by their ornamental value but for their need of water and environmental condi tions; witches are more important factors (the type of water landscape designs ‐ lakes, ponds, etc ). After plant habit and biological characteristics the aquatic plants are classified as: natant specie s, submerse species, plasters species, oxygen made species, water lily species. After their origin and placement area, the aquatic species can be classified as: species for humid and swamp areas, s pecies for areas with water depth between (1040 cm depth), water lily area for plant floating (d epth of 50 cm even more). For each place in the aquatic design there is neede d specie, each plant has its own space. In the water lily area ( Nymphaea sp.) can be planted Ranunculus aquatilis , Aponogeton distachyos , floating species ( Pistia stratioides , Eichhornia crassipes , Hydrocharis morsus-ranae , Stratioides aloides ) submerse species ( Myriophyllum spicatum , Ceratophyllum demersum �.a.), before their decorative effect this kind of plants improve the w ater content in oxygene reducing the development of alga in the water. In areas with small depth water it’s recommended species like: Sparganium erectum , Orontium aquaticum , Polygonum amphibium , Butomus umbelatus , Pontederia cordata . In the swamp area are recommended species like: Acorus calamus , Lythrum salicifolium , Iris pseudacorus , Darmera peltata , Lychnis floscuculi . In the humid area : Iris laevigata , Myosotis palustris , Lysichiton americanus , Primula pulverulenta . On the river borders: Carex elata , Polemonium coeruleum , Trollius europaeus , Tradescantia sp., Hosta sp. and ferns. Due to different types of aquatic landscape designs more and more public gardens are choosing this kind of landscapes.

RAPD를 이용한 자생 Iris속 식물의 유전적 유연관계 분석

This study was carried out to provide the basic data for an identifying system for Iris species distributed in Korean market from complete analysing of genetic relationship between three native Iris species and one cultivar bred from the native Iris plant. RAPD analysis of genetic relationship among 4 Irises was possible. According to the RAPD analysis, they were divided into two groups. Among 4 Irises used in this study, Iris laevigata 'Veriegata', Iris laevigata and Iris setosa were classified into the same group since they had many similarities even though the habitat of Iris laevigata in Korean peninsular is restricted mainly in the south and Iris setosa is naturally inhabited in the northern part of Kangwondo. The value for the dissimilarity index of Iris laevigata and Iris laevigata 'Veriegata' was 6.757. The value for the dissimilarity index of Iris laevigata and Iris dichotoma was 95.000, so that they were genetically the farthest among them since the genetic relationship between two species are separated far if the value of the dissimilarity index is close to 100.

High-performance liquid chromatographic analysis of anthocyanins in induced amphidiploids of Iris laevigata Fisch. × I. ensata Thunb.

Anthocyanins of colchicine-induced amphidiploids of I. laevigata × I. ensata were analyzed by the HPLC procedure and compared with those of parental species and F1 hybrids of I. laevigata × I. ensata. The amphidiploids were characterized by seventeen anthocyanins, and exhibited all anthocyanins of the parental species and the F1 hybrids. Malvidin 3RGac5G and petunidin 3RGac5G in anthocyanins detected were major pigments in the amphidiploids, which exhibited strongly the malvidin 3RGac5G-petunidin 3RGac5G type of I. ensata rather than the petunidin 3RGac5G-malvidin 3RGac5G type of I. laevigata. Moreover, a higher degree of anthocyanin content was observed in the amphidiploids and the F1 hybrids. Namely, the anthocyanin content of the amphidiploids and the F1 hybrids were 2.81 and 2.45 times as much as that of the mid-parent. This implies that there is a complementary effect on anthocyanin synthesis of parental genes in them. Finally, the utility of the amphidiploids was discussed.

Amphidiploids between Iris laevigata FISCH. and I. ensata THUNB. induced through in vitro culture of embryos treated with colchicine.

To overcome the sterility of the F1 hybrids of Iris laevigata (2n=32)×I. ensata (2n=24), in vitro culture of embryos treated with colchicine was evaluated as a means to induce fertile amphidiploids (2n=56). Treatment of hybrid embryos with 0.05% level of aqueous colchicine for 1, 2 and 4 days enabled to induce the amphidiploids. The colchlclne-induced amphidiploids bore a strong resemblance to the F1 hybrids (2n=28) in the colour of the outer and inner perianths, midrib configuration of leaves, pollen colour and flowering date. However, the amphidiploids showed a taller scape and larger outer and inner perianths than the F1 hybrids. Moreover, the amphidiploids exhibited high pollen and seed fertility. Such amphidiploids thus appear to be suitable for use as breeding materials for interspecific cross-breeding of I.ensata.