Re: HYB: Breeding for Variegated Foliage

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Varigated foliage is tricky to work with. I have introduced Canadian 
Streaker and have seveal varigated seedlings that I'm working with 
currently. Canadian Streaker is a natural sport that I nursed along 
for some time before introducing. As allready noted the variagated 
foliage plants tent to revert to the green plants which are stronger 
and will sap the plants energy. With CS I carefully removed all green 
only offshoots as early as possible to give the streaked plants a 
better change. This took some time before there where more viagated 
then green offshoots. I have noted that with time there is less and 
less of the green only plants but they still occur  and are more 
vigorous. Some of these all green plants will produce variagated 
offshoots but the streaking is minimal but with carefull culling the 
vagigation can be increased.
The streaking is caried in the seed cytoplasm so only the mother
plant 
can produce variagated offspring. To produce variaged seedlings I
have 
been using the flowers with variagation on the flower stock and 
hopefully also on the flower spathe on the theory that there will be
a 
better chance of passing this (variagation)on in the cytoplasm. I
have 
also noted other sports around and thre is the possibility that 
chemical sress may contribute to the plant starting to have variaged 
foliage. I did discover a very pretty stripped quackgrass in my
garden 
as well as some other weeds. These are rare and were not saved. Its 
very nice to see a variaged seed pod. Unfortunatly these are not very 
common. This year there have been very few seed pods set in my
garden. 
The very wet weather seems to have caused some problems with 
fertility.
I do have one nice seedling of CS with a great light blue ruffled 
flower. This should be ready in a few years.
When you do get seed there are further problems. Some of the
seedlings 
are pure white and soon die out. A number of seedlings are too weak 
and just don't make it or put out very few increases or the green
will 
take right over. Variagation does weaken the plant so it doesn't do
as 
well as its green counterpart(s).

Silver Zebra will set seed with TBs but it is reluctant. I did get 
several pods of SZ X TB several years ago but the seeds (only about 5 
total) didn't germinate. Trying with diploid fathers may help. Some
of 
the MTBs may be a way to go. Joseph's Coat, Honorabile, and 
Kaliedoscope are exciting possibilities as they have variagation in 
the flowers and tend to produce sports.
This year I discovered one clump of Silver Zebra that had three 
offspring that have gold stripes as well as silver stripes. Theses 
plants have been isolated to see what they do. I have some photos of 
these that I should post at some point.
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