HYB - TB: Reg. 7 Irisarian Reprints #6

 >If one is not interested..........  hit the "delete" key.
> 
> A series of articles reprinted from the Region 7 IRISARIAN with myself as
> Editor in 1990-91.  [Gary Sides--Jan. 1998:  Posted to Iris-L]
> 
HYBRIDIZING--AITKEN STYLE
Terry Aitken      Vancouver, Washington	    

Our interest in irises began almost twenty years ago as green thumb, first
time homeowners.  We planted many types of plants, but were almost
immediately impressed with the wide range of colors and patterns available
in TB irises.  We began collecting these variants, and the large commercial
color catalogs simply encouraged this quest.  We began with ten plants,
then twenty, then more.  This year's first-bloom plants will number nearly
10,000 seedlings and 250 newly introduced varieties from other growers. 
This is in addition to the established 1200 named varieties and field rows
of several thousand reselect seedlings, all of which occupy about three
acres.
	    
When you consider that these three acres of plants have the capability of
increasing in quantity to occupy four times that space the following year,
it is obvious that a high sense of selective-discipline is absolutely
essential to one's survival!
	   
 Poor quality plants are pulled and thrown while still in bloom; average
quality plants go on a 'hit list' to be thrown as time permits.  Only
'superior' plants are returned to the fields as transplanting begins
September 1st.  By mid-November, transplanting is essentially complete, and
we can look down the rows of labels with satisfaction and look forward to
an even more spectacular bloom season next year.
	    
Our "theory" in iris breeding has everything to do with the word "quality".
 What sense of selection occurs that determines which plants stay and which
go?  Quality is a relative value.  Plants we would save ten years ago, we
would not hesitate to throw today.  Quality changes with time.  We can
sense annually subtle improvements over the year, or generation, before. 
Quality is the sum of the evaluation of all the characteristics of a plant.
 Color intensity is taking on an almost flourescent brilliance.  Petal
substance has become as hard and brittle as cabbage leaves.  Stems with
four or five branches are common and triple sockets a pleasant bonus. 
Vigor can be observed in the off bloom season with the size of clumps and a
count of the spent bloom stalks.  Some plants show superior resistance to
leaf spot; some are resistant to rot.  Some flowers are more resistant to
late spring freezes than others.  Some flowers even return to bloom again
in July and August, not mention September, October and November!  (Yes, we
have joined the race to produce quality everblooming irises!)
	    
Some five years after I had begun "collecting" irises, I decided to try my
luck at hybridizing.  I was extremely fortunate to be living in a haven of
world class hybridizers.  Early talks and tours of seedling patches with
Gus Schreiner, Bennett Jones and George Shoop set the stage with role
models and able coaches.  As our horizons expanded, hybridizers throughout
the northwest became our "benevolent family" by choice.  Over fifteen
years, our communications have spread nearly world-wide, as we find that
gardeners (and hybridizers in particular) share a common enthusiasm in
their quest for quality new plants.
	    
An iris hybridizer is an iris judge, officially or otherwise, as plant
evaluation and reselection are the over-riding prerequisites to this
activity.  Partly it is taught through the AIS Judges manual, but largely
it is an inherent skill or aptitude which a person must have.  Experience
and training simply sharpen one's skills and expand one's perspective of a
given subject.

ADVICE TO BEGINNING HYBRIDIZERS
1) Early on, I often heard that you need to hybridize for approximately 10
years before introducing your first plant.  After six years on hybridizing
I introduced my first irises in 1983 - CASCADIAN SKIES (TB), HELLCAT (IB)
and LEMON RINGS (SDB).  I would suggest that the beginner could save a
whole lot of time, toil and frustration by simply restricting their
hybridizing efforts to using the absolute top quality, newer plants
available.  These are usually the AM award winners, which have grown well
throughout the Continent.
2) Another rule of thumb was "one introduction per thousand seedlings". 
Again, the use of awarded parents can reduce this ratio to one in three
hundred - maybe!
3) More advice -- "Veteran iris buyers will not buy your iris until they
have seen and personally evaluated your plants."  It is essential that the
beginning hybridizers get their prospective 
introductions to national and regional tour gardens.  From then on, the
plants will establish your reputation for you - either good, bad or
indifferent.  It is extremely difficult to live down a poor introduction. 
YOU (your skills) will be judged, by others, on the basis of the quality of
plants you select for introduction.
4) "Your reputation will be substantially enhanced by winning AIS awards." 
First, you must have a good iris, then people have to see it.  Distribution
to conventions is essential.  Limit your introductions to just a few in
each class to avoid competing against yourself (splitting votes).
5) "Linebreeding creates weaknesses."  We frequently hear that plants look
great in the originator's garden, but perform poorly in different climates
or soils.  Because of this, we have specifically developed a system of
breeding irises together that originate from different geographic areas of
the country (NW X SW) or (NE X NW), etc.  This formula increases the
likelihood that your plants will thrive under a variety of climatic
conditions (and increases the likelihood of winning awards).
Crosses per year?  Every year is different.  We begin making crosses with
the MDB's in late March; SDB's, IB's in April; BB's, TB's, SIB's, PCI's in
May; Japanese in June; then rebloomers in July and August.  We attempt
nearly one thousand crosses, but figure on a success ratio of about one
third.  Fertility is strongly influenced by the weather.  Wet weather
spoils pollen and heat dries up the stigmatic lip.  Some plants are
infertile, while others only set pods on the first flower to open.  Because
of the questionable fertility, we usually make reciprocal crosses (pod and
pollen parents both ways).  We usually germinate 25 plants per cross.  If
we find that a cross is producing exceptional seedlings, we will go back
and remake the cross in larger quantities.  SEAWOLF (one of 25 plants) is
an example, with ORBITER and GYRO (from one thousand seedlings) being the
result.  We also repeat crosses for several years if we are after specific
qualities.
Our best breeders?  LACE ARTISTRY (pollen only) is producing a very high
percentage of reselect seedlings.  Its biggest weakness seems to be bud
count (usually 7) - need to breed it with high bud count pod parents, like
PARADISE.  ORBITER and GYRO crossed with SPARTAN and WARRIOR KING are
producing wonderful forms in fuscia blends.  VIVIEN is producing the best
red bearded blues.  We are using LACED COTTON to produce "speckle plics". 
These are flowers with lace texture where the plicata band breaks down into
spots or speckles.  (The fourth generation of these will bloom this year). 
For IB's, any of the forementioned TB's should work well.  Everyone in the
Northwest is getting sensational IB's from MARMALADE SKIES.  For BB's,
MEMORABLE is producing many very fine plants.  Among the SDB'S, DIXIE
PIXIE, RAIN DANCE, and CHUBBY CHEEKS seem to guarantee exceptional results.
 Among the Japanese irises, KNIGHT IN ARMOR is producing many fine
seedlings, as is CASCADE CREST.  Among the rebloomers, we are down the road
four generations (and seeing rapid progress) with SEAWOLF, STELLAR LIGHTS,
SAPPHIRE HILLS, VICTORIA FALLS and IMMORTALITY.  During July and August
this past year we had two introduction quality seedlings show up; a fine
white out of ((SEAWOLF x I DO) X IMMORTALITY), and a fine blue from the
line listed above.  SEAWOLF showed up four times in that parentage!  We are
also working with other early rebloomers - CHAMPAGNE ELEGANCE (pollen
fertile), ETERNAL BLISS (very pod fertile), MAIDEN (unknown), MANY HAPPY
RETURNS and POINT MADE (pod fertile).  The first everblooming irises are
just a generation or two away!
	    
Hybridizing is a fascinating activity.  There are infinite possibilities
and endless surprises along the way.  A hybridizer is a long shot gambler. 
Every cross should be made with the intention of winning the Dykes Medal. 
A hybridizer is an opportunist.  Many surprises occur in the seedling
patch, and the breeder needs to realize that these may be winners, even if
not the intended objective.  No iris is an end product in itself.  It
simply represents one step up the ladder to infinity, and provides the
opportunity for further options and higher standards of quality.  There
will always be room for new hybridizers willing to work towards these
objectives.


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Gary D. Sides   Nashville, TN  USDA 6/7   gdsides@ccast.com
TB Iris Rebloom is Up and Coming!   Got any?  Want some?
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