Treatment method for efficient hybridization breeding of water lily
By selecting suitable female and male parents and combining emasculation and mixed pollination techniques, the problems of low fruit set rate and insufficient seed quantity in water lily hybridization breeding have been solved, achieving efficient water lily hybridization breeding and improving breeding efficiency and the speed of new variety selection.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202511357268.5
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2025-09-23
- Publication Date
- 2025-12-02
AI Technical Summary
Existing water lily hybridization breeding methods suffer from problems such as unstable fruit set rate, potential fruit drop during development, limited number of hybrid seeds, low germination rate, difficulty in controlling parental sources, and directional breeding, resulting in low breeding efficiency.
We selected a well-grown female parent and several male parents with significant differences in ornamental traits. We combined emasculation treatment, pollen mixing, and precision pollination techniques. We used stigma solution from the same subgenus to mix pollen from multiple male parents for pollination and bagged the seeds to ensure seed collection and sowing.
It significantly improved the success rate of water lily hybridization, shortened the breeding time, increased the seed germination rate, simplified the operation process, and promoted the breeding of superior new varieties.
Smart Images
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Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This invention relates to the field of plant hybridization breeding, and specifically to a method for efficient hybridization breeding of water lilies. Background Technology
[0002] Water lilies are perennial aquatic herbaceous flowers belonging to the genus *Nymphaea* in the family Nymphaeaceae. They are highly prized for their elegant flowers, diverse forms, rich colors, and fragrant aroma, and are widely used in waterscapes, garden ponds, potted plants, and the cut flower industry. Developing new varieties with novel flower colors, shapes, strong fragrances, high resilience, long flowering periods, compact plant shapes, or adaptability to potted cultivation has enormous market potential and research value.
[0003] Hybrid breeding is an important means of germplasm innovation for water lilies, but conventional hybrid breeding methods have many drawbacks. For example, the fruit set rate after hybridization is unstable, and the fruits may fall off during development. The number of hybrid seeds obtained is often limited, and the germination rate may be very low, resulting in a small number of effective hybrid seedlings. In addition, water lilies usually require artificial intervention for hybridization because natural pollination may be limited by factors such as insect behavior, weather, and varietal compatibility, and it is difficult to control the source of parents, making targeted breeding impossible. The artificial pollination process is also cumbersome. Given the disadvantages of traditional methods, such as being time-consuming, labor-intensive, having low success rates, and having long cycles, the increasing market demand for new varieties, and the in-depth exploration of water lily genetic improvement in scientific research, the integration of modern biotechnology and precision cultivation management to establish a highly efficient water lily hybrid breeding technology system that can significantly improve the hybridization success rate, shorten the flowering time, achieve early and precise selection, and ultimately accelerate the breeding process of superior new varieties has become the core goal and development trend of current water lily breeding research and practice. Summary of the Invention
[0004] In view of the shortcomings of the existing technology, the purpose of this invention is to provide a method for efficient hybridization breeding of water lilies.
[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention adopts the following technical solution:
[0006] This invention provides a method for efficient hybridization breeding of water lilies, the method comprising the following steps:
[0007] (1) Selection of hybridization mother plant: Select water lilies with good growth status, cultivation value and good fruit setting as the mother plant;
[0008] (2) Male parent emasculation: Deemasculation is determined based on the self-compatibility of the female parent. If the female parent is self-compatible, emasculation is performed; if it is not self-compatible, emasculation is not performed. Male emasculation is performed in the early morning of the day of hybridization pollination or in the evening of the previous day to ensure the normal production of stigma fluid from the female parent.
[0009] (3) Selection of male parent for hybridization: Select two or more water lily varieties with significant differences in ornamental traits as male parents for hybridization;
[0010] (4) Collection of the male parent: The time for collecting pollen is selected based on the pollen dispersibility of the male parent;
[0011] (5) Pollen collection: On the day of pollination, the stigma liquid of water lily of the same subgenus as the maternal parent was mixed with the pollen of multiple paternal parents to prepare a multi-paternal parent mixed pollen liquid;
[0012] (6) Hybrid pollination: Add the pollen solution from step (5) to the stigma of the hybrid female parent and cover it with a bag;
[0013] (7) Seed collection: After the water lily fruits mature, collect the hybrid seeds and sow them for cultivation.
[0014] In the specific implementation plan, the water lily is a tropical water lily.
[0015] In the specific implementation plan, the tropical water lily is one or more of the following: Rwanda, Purple Nine-Grade, Purple Joy, Lasami, Blue Nine-Grade, and 'Dragon and Phoenix Water Lily'.
[0016] In a specific implementation plan, the ornamental traits in step (3) include at least one of flower color, plant shape, leaf color and leaf morphology.
[0017] In a specific implementation plan, in step (3), the parent plant is at least two of the following: Purple Nine-Purple, Purple Joey, Lasami, and Blue Nine-Purple.
[0018] In a more specific implementation, the parent lineage is: Purple Rank 9 + Purple Joey, Purple Rank 9 + Lhasa, Purple Rank 9 + Blue Rank 9, Purple Joey + Lhasa, Purple Joey + Blue Rank 9, Lhasa + Blue Rank 9, Purple Rank 9 + Purple Joey + Lhasa, Purple Rank 9 + Purple Joey + Blue Rank 9, Purple Joey + Lhasa + Blue Rank 9, Purple Rank 9 + Purple Joey + Lhasa + Blue Rank 9.
[0019] In a specific implementation plan, in step (4), for varieties whose pollen shedding is greatly affected by the environment, the anthers are collected and preserved the night before, and the pollen is collected the next day. For example, pollen production is hindered under strong sunlight, so this type of water lily needs to be picked and preserved the night before pollination and collected the next day for hybridization. For varieties whose pollen shedding is less affected by the environment, pollen can be collected on the day of pollination.
[0020] In the specific implementation plan, in step (5), when collecting pollen, the outer few whorls of stamens that have already split open should be picked.
[0021] In a specific implementation plan, in step (5), a 50mL centrifuge tube is used as a container, 10mL of stigma solution of the same subgenus Nymphaea is added, and the pollen of multiple male parents is mixed by shaking.
[0022] In a specific implementation plan, in step (6), the stigma sap of the same subgenus of water lily as the parent plant is selected for pollination.
[0023] In a specific implementation plan, step (6) can be performed by using a dropper to draw up the pollen solution mixed with the parent plant for pollination.
[0024] Beneficial effects
[0025] The present invention provides a method for efficient hybridization breeding of water lilies, which has the following advantages compared with the prior art:
[0026] (1) This invention improves the success rate of water lily hybridization and greatly shortens the time for water lily hybridization breeding.
[0027] (2) This invention is simple to operate and easy to use. It can be widely applied to water lily hybridization breeding and can help the innovation of water lily germplasm resources. Attached Figure Description
[0028] Figure 1 The invention compared the results of pollinating Rwandan water lilies with conventional pollination methods using different pollen combinations, focusing on the differences in hybridization rate, number of seeds per fruit, and seed germination rate. Detailed Implementation
[0029] To better illustrate the present invention and facilitate understanding of its technical solutions, the present invention is exemplary but not limiting. Reagents or instruments used without a specified manufacturer are considered to be conventional products that can be purchased on the market.
[0030] Example 1
[0031] A method for efficient hybridization breeding of water lilies, comprising the following steps:
[0032] (1) Selection of hybrid water lily varieties: Rwanda, a tropical water lily that is free from pests and diseases and grows uniformly, was selected as the female parent for hybridization. Four water lily varieties with large differences in traits and strong pollen viability, namely Zi Jiupin, Zi Qiaoyi, Lasami and Lan Jiupin, were selected as the male parent for hybridization.
[0033] (2) Selection of hybrid male parents: In order to demonstrate the difference between the efficient hybridization breeding method of water lilies and the traditional hybridization breeding method, four varieties, namely Zi Jiupin, Zi Qiaoyi, Lasami, and Lan Jiupin, were used as male parents and pollinated Rwanda individually to serve as the control group. At the same time, the pollen of the four male parents was mixed and used to pollinate Rwanda to serve as the experimental group.
[0034] (3) Emasculation: Rwandan water lilies have strong self-pollination and fruit setting ability, so emasculation is necessary. Emasculation is usually performed on Rwandan water lilies at around 8 pm the night before pollination or around 4 am on the day of pollination to ensure that the mother plant produces stigma sap.
[0035] (4) Pollen collection: Select disease-free and uniformly growing water lilies as the male parent for hybridization. Use tweezers to collect the stamens that have split open on the outside of the flower. Place the stamens of each variety in different centrifuge tubes and add the stigma liquid of the eutropical subgenus water lily to make a pollen mixture of Purple Nine-pin, Purple Joy, Lasami and Blue Nine-pin. Take a clean centrifuge tube and set it aside for later use. Use a dropper to draw up the prepared single pollen solution and mix it with the centrifuge tube to obtain 10 different pollen mixtures.
[0036] (5) Hybrid pollination: The pollen of the control group and the 10 kinds of mixed pollen solutions were dropped onto the stigma to complete the hybrid pollination. After the hybrid pollination was completed, the stigma was bagged to prevent interference from foreign pollen.
[0037] (6) Sowing: The fruit will mature in about 25 days after hybridization. After the fruit rots, the hybrid seeds can be harvested. Place the hybrid seeds of different hybrid combinations in different pots and cover them with 1-2 cm of soil to complete the sowing. After the seeds are sown, cover the pot with an insect-proof net to prevent the seedlings from being damaged by insects during their growth period.
[0038] Depend on Figure 1 It can be seen that different pollen combinations result in significant differences in hybridization set rate, number of seeds per fruit pod, and seed germination rate when pollinating Rwandan water lilies. For example, pollination with single varieties such as *Zi Jiu Pin* and *Zi Qiao Yi* resulted in low hybridization set rates with significant differences between varieties; for instance, *Zi Qiao Yi*'s hybridization set rate was only 43%. However, mixing *Zi Qiao Yi* pollen with pollen from other water lily varieties like *Zi Jiu Pin* showed a significantly higher hybridization set rate compared to *Zi Qiao Yi*, but a lower rate compared to varieties with high hybridization set rates like *Lasami*. This indicates a mutual influence between the two pollen types during hybridization. Furthermore, observation of the hybridization set rate of all pollen mixtures revealed that the hybridization set rate increased with the increase in the number of pollen types mixed. Analysis of the number of seeds per fruit pod also showed that the pollen variety affected the seed number, but because the number of seeds per fruit pod is influenced by environmental factors and plant growth conditions, the two did not exhibit a clear linear relationship. Finally, by observing the seed germination rate index, it was found that mixed pollen pollination can improve the germination rate of seeds from single fruits. This is because some pollen produces hybrid seeds with higher germination rates while others produce lower rates. Therefore, mixed pollen pollination can effectively improve the seed germination rate.
[0039] Table 1: Effects of different pollen ratios on hybridization results and progeny germination.
[0040]
[0041] This experiment demonstrates that the efficient hybridization breeding method for water lilies created in this invention can improve the hybridization and seed germination rates of water lily hybridization breeding, and can effectively promote the breeding of new water lily varieties.
[0042] The applicant also tested other tropical water lily varieties, such as 'Dragon and Phoenix Water Lily', and they all showed the same or similar trends, proving that the breeding success rate of mixed pollen pollination is significantly higher than that of traditional water lily hybridization breeding.
[0043] The scope of protection of this invention is not limited to the above embodiments. Variations and advantages that can be conceived by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the inventive concept are included in this invention and are protected by the appended claims.
Claims
1. A treatment method for efficient hybridization breeding of water lilies, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: (1) Selection of hybridization mother plant: Select water lilies with good growth status, cultivation value and good fruit setting as the mother plant; (2) Male removal of the female parent: Determine whether to remove the male parent based on the self-compatibility of the female parent. If the female parent is self-compatible, remove the male parent; if it is not self-compatible, do not remove the male parent. Male removal should be performed in the early morning of the day of cross-pollination or in the evening of the day before. (3) Selection of male parent for hybridization: Select two or more water lily varieties with significant differences in ornamental traits as male parents for hybridization; (4) Collection of the male parent: The time for collecting pollen is selected based on the pollen dispersibility of the male parent; (5) Pollen collection: On the day of pollination, the stigma liquid of water lily of the same subgenus as the maternal parent was mixed with the pollen of multiple paternal parents to prepare a multi-paternal parent mixed pollen liquid; (6) Hybrid pollination: Add the pollen solution from step (5) to the stigma of the hybrid female parent and cover it with a bag; (7) Seed collection: After the water lily fruits mature, collect the hybrid seeds and sow them for cultivation.
2. The treatment method for high-efficiency hybridization breeding of water lilies according to claim 1, characterized in that, The water lily mentioned is a tropical water lily.
3. The treatment method for high-efficiency hybridization breeding of water lilies according to claim 2, characterized in that, The tropical water lilies mentioned are one or more of the following: Rwanda, Purple Nine-Petal, Purple Joy, Lasami, Blue Nine-Petal, and 'Dragon and Phoenix Water Lily'.
4. The treatment method for high-efficiency hybridization breeding of water lilies according to claim 1, characterized in that, The ornamental traits in step (3) include at least one of flower color, plant shape, leaf color and leaf morphology.
5. The treatment method for high-efficiency hybridization breeding of water lilies according to claim 2, characterized in that, In step (3), the parent is at least two of the following: Purple Nine-Rank, Purple Joey, Lasami, and Blue Nine-Rank.
6. The treatment method for high-efficiency hybridization breeding of water lilies according to claim 1, characterized in that, In step (4), for varieties whose pollen is greatly affected by the environment, the anthers are collected and preserved one night in advance, and the pollen is collected the next day.
7. The treatment method for high-efficiency hybridization breeding of water lilies according to claim 1, characterized in that, In step (5), a 50mL centrifuge tube is used as a container, 10mL of stigma solution of the same subgenus Nymphaeus is added, and the pollen from multiple male parents is mixed by shaking.
8. The method for efficient hybridization of water lilies according to claim 1, characterized in that, In step (6), the stigma sap of water lilies of the same subgenus as the mother plant is selected for pollination.