Published in Scientific Papers. Series B, Horticulture, Vol. LXIII, Issue 1
Written by Mirela Irina CORDEA, Rodica POP, Cristian Radu SISEA, Adrian PETICILĂ, Alexandra Ioana VINTILĂ
Phalaenopsis (moth orchid) is one of the most popular indoor orchids, being cultivated for their long-lasting flowers that are produced all year round. A modern approach for inducing variability and creating new marketable cultivars employs artificial hybridization followed by in vitro seed germination. For these purposes, twelve cultivars selected for their highly variable morphology were used in six direct and reciprocal hybrid combinations. The hybridizations were performed in January, because the percentage of pollination and capsule formation are higher compared to hybridizations performed during summer. Capsules were obtained in eight hybrid combinations and were harvested before dehiscence. Seed germination was tested both on MS basal medium devoid of plant growth regulators and on a MS variant supplemented with 1.5 mg/l BAP. The first variant provided the best rate of proliferating embryos (70-90%), for the next hybrid combinations (1x2, 12x18, 16x11). The other two hybrid combinations (3x4, 14x13) that produced capsules showed no germination. For plantlet formation, protocorms were transferred on a MS medium supplemented with 6.0 mg/l BAP. Plantlets were successfully obtained from seeds after 30-35 days.
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