Re: Re: HYB: Breeding Strategy
iris@hort.net
  • Subject: Re: Re: HYB: Breeding Strategy
  • From: B* W* <a*@aol.com>
  • Date: Sat, 7 Jul 2012 08:10:43 -0400 (EDT)
Linda, I spend a lot of time checking catalogs. Mid-America and others are good at mentioning branching in the descriptions, since they know many people buy for the show bench. Since you're buying on faith anyway, this might be a good way to select. Also, check the show records from each year. True they don't often do the same in our gardens. Mine isn't as bad as yours, but I still get a lot of variables.
You've grown a lot of seedlings from EC. I remember it as near white with good growth. Are you getting encouraging seedlings from it? Near the quality of 'Immortality?' Both form and rebloom? 

<<OVER AND OVER made pollen this year and wound up on ENGLISH COTTAGE.
One of the few crosses that made seeds.>>
I've had lace from 'Louisa's Song' which is out of 'About Town.' I would still recommend it. Substance was not a problem on the few LS children I grew. Branching was awesome but stalks a bit weak.
<<Branching on ABOUT TOWN seedlings is phenomenal - form is lacking, so I 
haven't even tried fertility on any of them.  Will reconsider!>>
One of the best irises I've used for branching was 'Chinese New Year.' I bought it for the CA rebloom, but did enjoy the branching in the cross that produced 'Color Me Mysterious' & 'All About Tranquility.' 



Betty Wilkerson
Zone 6 KY
autmirislvr@aol.com



-----Original Message-----
From: Linda Mann <lmann@lock-net.com>
To: iris <iris@hort.net>
Sent: Fri, Jul 6, 2012 7:46 pm
Subject: [iris] Re: HYB: Breeding Strategy


Thanks for the comments, Betty.

So far, branching seems to vary a lot in the IMM kids.  One of the
reasons I picked these (GOLDEN PANTHER, FOGBOUND (& TREASURED),
CELEBRATION SONG) to focus on more than some of the other 'good' shotgun 
crosses is precisely because these went so 'high' in the AIS award
system.  I can't evaluate them here because they have poor branching,
low bud count, bunched up buds, short stalks, but am counting on their
having the 'good' genes for those traits, just not able to express them
in my growing conditions.  TREASURED does such a wonderful job as a
pollen parent for form, I've included it in the mix.  So far, all the
kids from it have had decent branching & bud count; not the best maybe,
but ok.
I added SEAKIST in spite of the open standards because it doesn't always 
pass that to the kids (and I'm hoping will be easy to be rid of in
grandkids) and has shown ability to give a range of patterns to the
falls.  Plus passes on super substance.
Twenty five years ago I was advised that it was important to use the 
best
branched iris as your pod parent as the quality is difficult to recover. Check 
your judgebs manual to see what AIS finds acceptable

As for EARL OF ESSEX, it never did well here - died long ago.

OVER AND OVER made pollen this year and wound up on ENGLISH COTTAGE.
One of the few crosses that made seeds.

I started trying to make a spreadsheet of all the crosses that have
proved useful here, trying to see if there are other 'shotgun' crosses I 
might want to add to the mix.  There are a <lot> to choose from.  & I
don't have info on which of the non-top award winners are likely to have 
the best branching & bud count under ideal growing conditions.

Thanks again, Betty.  Next project will be to make a list of the other
shotgun crosses & see if I can find out which have the 'best'
branching/bud count genes.  CSONG has been great, esp in later
generations, but too soon to know about GPanther & FOG.  First
generation isn't too great, but one from FOG was pretty good.

If fertility issues are too much trouble in next generations with these
chosen targets, I will pick some other 'shotgun' crosses to work on.
CSONG & FOGBOUND (via TREASURED) are definitely in the mix.

Not too sure about GP - 2nd generation this year look bad; & only one
seedling from IMM X GP survived, <but> two pods (!!) from same cross
this abysmal year, 30 seeds total, giving it another try.

Branching on ABOUT TOWN seedlings is phenomenal - form is lacking, so I
haven't even tried fertility on any of them.  Will reconsider!

Hot & humid, but at least it rained!

Linda Mann east TN USA zone 7b

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