Tulip Hybridization
Tulips are one of the most highly hybridized flowers available on the commercial market, and this has led to an almost endless array of colors and shapes in this popular bulb flower. As with any type of cross breeding, the successful hybridization of tulips requires an extensive knowledge of such things as the color, flowering period, disease resistance, etc. of each plant. The goal of hybridization is to produce new varieties that not only look beautiful but are better at resisting disease, insects and other pests. Past cross breeding experiments have produced tulip species in every color of the rainbow, as well as ones whose blooms are unusual shapes, far different than the standard tulip bloom. In addition, careful cross breeding has led to tulip varieties that are resistant to disease and that grow even in less than optimal soil conditions.
To understand cross breeding and hybridization of tulips and other flowers, it is helpful to understand the terms used by gardeners, horticulturists and botanists. The most commonly herd terms are cultivars, botanicals, species and sports.
Cultivars are the types of flowers which have been previously created by plant breeders.
Species - are those flower varieties which are found in nature. The terms species and botanicals are used interchangeably.
Sports are natural mutations that occur purely by chance, with no human intervention. For instance, the popular double flowering varieties of tulips are sports.
When working with any type of plant, the grower must be careful that no accidental pollination occurs. To prevent accidental pollination, the mated flowers are protected by pieces of foil while in the greenhouse. After these flowers have bloomed they are permitted to die and go to seed.
Naturally this approach is not appropriate for plants growing in bulb fields. For these plants, the blossoms are cut off in their prime to force the plant to concentrate its energy on making a stronger bulb. The seeds are then harvested and cataloged. Once the seeds have been carefully cataloged they are planted underneath organized forms. It is important to know that the plant which emerges the first spring will not look like the tulips which grow in the gardens.
Instead of a full flower there will be only tiny plants. This is because the flowers grown from mature bulbs are surrounded by moisture and food and they use this to perpetuate themselves. Flowers evolved this strategy during the times when they grew in the arid steppes of the Mediterranean region. The small plants which are grown from seed need lots of attention and care, as well as replanting, during the next few years until the first blossoms arise. It can take over five years for the plant breeder to find out if the flower he or she produced has the desired color and shape, so it is important to have lots of patience when working with bulb plants like tulips.
In addition to the production of stunning new colors and shapes, today’s horticulturists are busy at work on new scents for bulb flowers. Currently the tulip is known more for its bright colors and beautiful shape than for its scent, and selective breeding is hoping to change this by providing a pleasant, honey-like aroma.
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