Production of intervariety hybrids and segregating populations of Gerbera jamesonil, with help from molecular biology techniques, aiming to produce new commercial cultivars

• Grant number: 04/02908-0
• Support Opportunities: Research Grants - Innovative Research in Small Business - PIPE
• Start date: May 01, 2005
• End date: October 31, 2005
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Genetics - Plant Genetics
• Principal Investigator: Monique Inês Segeren
• Grantee: Monique Inês Segeren
• Company: Pro-Clone Comércio de Mudas Matrizes - ME
• City: Holambra

Abstract

In the floristry business, the variety of cut gerbera daisies offers great commercial value due to their attractive coloring, size and format. There currently exists on the producer market a wide variety of modern gerbera cultivars obtained by means of genetic improvement. But these plants are imported, which leads to the high cost of the seedling (around a third of the product’s final cost), in addition to dependence on foreign companies. In this project, traditional improvement procedures by means of sexed crossings should be carried out. The parent plants will be identified by the molecular marker technique in which the gerbera cultivars that display the greatest genetic variety – leading to hybrids of greater strength – will have directed crossings. Seeds will be gathered, individually, after each crossing carried out. The intervariety hybrids obtained will be evaluated according to the character of the flower (format and coloration) and the plant (profiling potential, speed of regrowth after pruning, size and diameter of the stem and characteristics of post-harvest durability. (AU)