RE: [SpaceAgeRobin] no SA offspring

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Hi, Neil,

 

I have over forty seedlings from a cross of Elegant Girl (SA) X Happenstance.  I know I am very remiss in not keeping a more accurate count of those that bloomed this past spring.  I can remember only eight of them booming.  Five of those were dug, three allowed to bloom again.  What will interest you is that of those that bloomed, only one was clearly SA.

 

As you can tell, most of them are still out there while I wait for them to bloom next spring.  I promise to keep an accurate  record of what they do.

 

I had two crosses with Mesmerizer:  Mesmerizer X Pink Champagne bloomed six, only one SA.  I kept two to see again.  Mesmerizer X (Pink Lenox x Celebration Song) bloomed five with one SA.  Those were so dreadful that all are gone.

 

I have six clumps of Margaret Inez X Pond Lily that didn’t bloom at all the first year.  They are out there looking good.  Two of five Coral Point X Pond Lily bloomed.  Neither are SA, but one seems to be my nicest pink seedling.

 

Three of five Pond Lily X Twice Thrilling bloomed with only one SA.

 

My nicest SA seedling this year was Appleblossom Days X Margaret Inez.  It had long upturned spoons consistent on every fall of every blossom.  Only two survived from the cross, and the other hasn’t bloomed yet.  Last year I had only two from the same cross but a different pod.  Neither was SA or worth keeping.

 

Obviously, my SA percentage this year was very low.  I have high hopes for the Margaret Inez X Pond Lily cross.   Both of those are capable of producing nice seedlings.

 

The Elegant Girl X Happenstance babies were all pretty, but had consistently minimal branching and bud count at least on their first bloom.  As a pollen dauber, I’ve found new meaning in the cliché, “Hope springs eternal”.  J

 

 

-----Original Message-----
From: SpaceAgeRobin@yahoogroups.com [mailto:SpaceAgeRobin@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Neil A Mogensen
Sent: Wednesday, August 17, 2005 5:48 AM
To: Space Age Robin
Subject: [SpaceAgeRobin] no SA offspring

 

Aitken doesn't say what the other parent(s) are or were for the "no SA
offspring."

We're on the lookout for non-producer parents for SA offspring to see if we
can uncover whether the SA is actually a recessive and the parent lacks the
genetics, as Chuck Chapman suggests.

Michael M's report on his own experience and that of Mike Sutton (from MM's
report) about ROMANTIC EVENING is the sort that would be especially useful.
A second generation, a back cross from some of the seedlings from RE might
give an array that could tell what is going on here, or at least contribute
toward an understanding.

It is becoming increasingly clear that SA genetics is not simple.  Flower
form is determined right at the point where apical meristem tissues have a
switch-over from stem, leaf-and-branch formation to petal and reproductive
organ structure, whole sets of genes gone quiet, others activated.  That
process has a divergence from the normal in order to give the SA condition.
This is pretty basic and complex behavior in the nucleus.  Don't expect
simple results!

OR--there is an inhibiting factor at work in the mix, with the SA condition
more or less dominant, but hidden behind the inhibiting factor(s).  The
ratios of SA seedlings in successful crosses is odd, indicating a complexity
in the genetics as I understand things from what is anecdotally reported.  I
have yet to see careful counts of the sort we are contemplating, including
all the way from no-evidence, BS or BSE, minimal horn, extended horn, etc.
That may tell us a great deal.  It also means time and effort on the reports
from participants, a labor of love and a high desire for solid data.

Any crosses people bloom from SA crosses, even if they don't fit the planned
four categories exactly, would be useful.  A count, including a breakdown
into the degree of expression would be MOST helpful!  I know this takes
time, but the data matter.

Neil Mogensen

Iris plants	Iris	Biology
Seedlings

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