Azalea MNIHAR022 Compact Growth and Cold Hardiness

Solution Overview

Problem

There is a need for a new, distinct variety of evergreen azalea that combines attractive flowering characteristics, ease of propagation, and cold hardiness, while maintaining compact growth and adaptability to various light conditions.

Innovation Solution

The development of the Rhododendron variety 'MNIHAR022', resulting from a controlled cross between 'Fascination' and 'Midnight Flare', which exhibits compact, broadly globose growth, showy light pink with red border flowers, and is easily propagated via semi-hardwood cuttings, thriving in both shade and sun, and hardy in Zone 6.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If a new azalea variety is developed through cross hybridization to combine attractive flowering characteristics and cold hardiness, then the flower quality and adaptability are improved, but the breeding time and complexity increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent combines desirable traits from two parent varieties ('Fascination' and 'Midnight Flare') through controlled cross hybridization to produce 'MNIHAR022' which exhibits both the cold hardiness of Zone 6 adaptability and attractive flowering characteristics, merging multiple beneficial properties into a single cultivar

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The breeding program performed preliminary controlled cross hybridization experiments between selected parent plants before large-scale propagation, allowing the breeder to evaluate and select the optimal combination of traits in the F1 generation before committing to extensive propagation efforts

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Reliability

If the azalea is propagated via semi-hardwood cuttings to maintain genetic consistency, then the reliability of characteristic retention is improved, but the propagation skill and time requirements increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The semi-hardwood cutting propagation method allows the plant to propagate itself with minimal intervention, using natural physiological processes to generate rooted cuttings that maintain genetic fidelity to the parent plant, reducing the need for complex laboratory equipment or specialized techniques

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

3Volume of moving object

If the azalea is designed with compact growth habit for container cultivation, then the space efficiency is improved, but the growth rate may be reduced

Engineering Contradiction:

Core Design Contradiction:

Volume of moving objectVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The cultivar exhibits locally optimized growth characteristics with a compact, broadly globose habit that concentrates growth in a tight form factor suitable for containers, while maintaining moderate overall growth rate through controlled branch development and leaf arrangement patterns

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Data Source

PatentUSPP24753P3Azalea plant named MNIHAR022

Publication Date: 2014.08.12

AI summary

A new and distinct variety of azalea plant with spring blooming, attractive, showy, single light pink with red border flowers, easily propagated by semi-hardwood cuttings in late spring through summer, moderate growth rate under normal fertilization and moisture conditions, compact broadly globose and freely branching in habit, grows well in containers, thrives in shade or sun and is hardy in Zone 6, is disclosed.