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Re: [PRIMROSES] Variegated Hosta propagation

Clyde,

I am very sorry that my message unintentinally lost the citation of your
question:

<Does anyone know the probability of getting a variegated hosta seedling
from
the seed of a solid-color hosta?>,

to which  Nancy Swell commented:
<I think that the odds are almost nonexistant>,

and I answered :
<I agree and would like to add:>

Thus it appeared that I was of the opinion that seed from a variegated
mother plant should have negligible odds to give variegated offspring. This
is not so. I apologize for any inconvenience to you and Nancy.

I will try to clarify my position:

The tendency for variegation is normally inherited from the mother plant
via the intracellular plastids which carry their own genes. However, the
citation from G. Schmid shows that offspring from a yellow-leaved plant
(self-pollinated) is only about 40 per cent yellow instead of 100 per cent
if the variegation itself should be inherited.

It is more probable that it is the tendency for mutation leading to
variegation which is inherited (from the mother plant). The mutations are
still chance events.  Unless much more is known about these processes, seed
propagation of variegated Hostas will be a trial and error process. The
chance of obtaining valuable seedling is probably not better than for other
crosses.

For further clarification I should add that  variegation in general (not
only Hostas) can be of different kinds, for example:
* A normal and inherited property of the plant.
* Due to a single event mutation starting in a single cell and then
spreading by cell division. This propertiy is not transmitted by seed, but
can be vegetatively propagated.
* Due to genetic controlled mutation propensity in the plastids. These
traits can be (unreliably)
transmitted by seed.
* By virus attacks on the plant. Not transmittable by seed.

On the questions on the Aden and Lachmann and other crosses I have no
answer but a new question: Is there any statistics on the probability of
variegated seedling for each specific cross?
As there is many Hosta specialists on this group, such data my be
available.  It should be valuable  to have them communicated on this robin.
Maybe this is available on the Hosta discussion group, which I have not
seen.

I hope this adresses your concerns.

Hubert

Hubert Agback, Uppsala Sweden Min Temp -25C
Hubert.Agback@mailbox.swipnet.se



----------
> From: CCREDUX <CCREDUX@AOL.COM>
> To: PRIMROSES@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU
> Subject: Re: [PRIMROSES] Variegated Hosta propagation
> Date:  den 5 januari 1998 20:59
>
> In a message dated 98-01-05 05:46:33 EST,
Hubert.Agback@MAILBOX.SWIPNET.SE
> writes:
>
> <<
>  Clyde Crockett suggested that variegated hostas may result from sowing
seed
>  from variegated mother plants.
>
>  Nancy Swell commented:
>  <I think that the odds are almost nonexistant>
>   >>
> I thought Nancy's statement was a comment on my question: What is the
> probability of getting a variegated seedling from the seed of a
solid-color
> hosta?
>
> I recognize that the great majority of variegated and streaked plants are
> mutations and the like; however, I think Hubert's statement is somewhat
an
> exaggeration. What about all those crosses of Aden and the Lachmans that
were
> the product of having  a variegated pod parent? These resulted in new
> variegated seedlings. (I am fully aware that MOST of these had as the
pollen
> parent another variegated or a streaked hosta.)
>
> Also, what about using a Dorothy Benedict hybrid as a pod parent--one is
apt
> to get a variegated seedling, no?
>
> Maybe I am missing something here. Hubert, please clarify.
>
> Thanks!
>
> Clyde Crockett
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