Hybridizing Constraints

Along the lines of the question posed by Tom Silvers, I would like to see seed dormancy removed from present day breeding stock. Ideally, a seed could be planted immediately after harvest, germinate and emerge within two weeks, and have enough time to establish itself so it could bloom the following year.

Presently, it appears most irises require two years to go from flower to flower or seed to seed. As it is, an iris breeder works for 50 years and only gets 25 generations. Eliminating dormancy would double productivity, thus making all the other objectives quicker to obtain.

I am not sure if I read Francelle Edwards right, but it appears she can plant in Nov. and germinate in Jan. in AZ. This appears to be irises with little or no seed dormancy and I would like to see more selection in this direction.

This goal should be relatively easy to achieve assuming abscisic acid causes the observed dormancy. A recessive gene late in the carotenoid pathway in chloroplasts should block synthesis of abscisic acid. Which means, once the characteristic is established, you do not loose the trait in subsequent generations.

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