new member

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Hi.  I'm Walter Pickett. 

I was a member a few years back, but I got too busy (I got married) to be here.  Now I'm less busy (divorced and facing retirement) and want to get back into the group.

I have continued to work (play) with arils and arilbreds.  Since some of the aril species seeds can take years to germinate, as do some of the hybrids, some of the breeders use embryo culture to speed things  up.  I am just now starting to try embryo culture with iris.  I thought I'd practice on I. tectorum, as SIGNA always has some seeds left over in their seed sale.

I would like to know if anyone in SIGNA is using embryo culture to germinate the slower species seeds.

Second, since I will be trying to make crosses of the diploid onco species with the tetraploid tall bearded, pumila iris, and regelia iris (some regelias are natural tetraploids, and happen to be the easiest aril species to grow locally).  So I will be trying to double the chromosomes of the onco species.

Again, I'll be using the less rare and easier to grow I. tectorum to practice chromosome doubling.  This would also give, if successful, tetraploid I. tectorums to cross with TBs, pumillas, and arils.  Also with other crested, while I'm at it.

So I wonder if anyone here has experience doubling chromosomes of iris.  I know there are many non-bearded iris that are giving interspecific hybrids, and some appear to have been doubled.  So I am asking for any information about how to do it.

I do have publications by Holden and Norris about their work doubing arils.

Walter Pickett