REB: aphylla rebloom genes
iris@hort.net
  • Subject: REB: aphylla rebloom genes
  • From: L* M* <1*@rewrite.hort.net>
  • Date: Wed, 24 Dec 2014 12:01:54 -0500
Several thoughts/questions about aphylla & rebloom
Chuck, do you know if the aphylla photoperiod response is dominant or recessive? Do you know if it is responding to shortening days, triggered in summer, or actual daylength? If the latter, any idea what daylength?
I've been looking at seedling differences in the range of green to brown foliage this time of year, before it gets cold enough to kill foliage to the ground (if it ever does this winter), wondering what happens with an aphylla photoperiod winter dormancy cross with something that tries to grow all winter.
Before I started breeding my own irises, I noticed that the cultivars that I bought that did the best here usually dropped foliage during drought and during winter. Pallida tends to also drop foliage in really cold winters here, but I've not noticed it in summer. Discussion on iris talk way back when concluded that it could be influence of one or more of several of the diploid ancestors - variegata, pallida, aphylla.
Most of my keeper seedlings (which made it fine through last winters dip to zero F with no snow cover) try to put on more green whenever it's somewhat warm and do not drop foliage during drought. (There's a lot of seedling selection pressure for drought tolerance/deep root systems.)
I've always suspected there is some aphylla influence in the GPBrown rebloomers because of the abundant branching, but maybe aphylla isn't the only source of that type of branching? 

Linda Mann
Merry Christmas Eve everybody

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