Caryopteris Minigold Cultivar Trait Combination
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Solution Overview
Problem
There is a need for a new cultivar of Caryopteris x clandonensis with a compact form, colored foliage, and intense blue flowers that is not met by existing cultivars, which often lack the desired combination of traits such as rounded habit, chartreuse and lime green foliage, and lavender blue flowers.
Innovation Solution
The development of the 'Minigold' cultivar, which results from the open pollination of Caryopteris x clandonensis 'Minbleu' and presumed to be crossed with 'Jason', exhibiting a unique combination of lavender blue flowers, compact and rounded plant habit, and chartreuse to lime green foliage, achieved through asexual propagation by softwood stem cuttings.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If existing Caryopteris cultivars are used, then they provide basic foliage and flower colors, but they lack the desired combination of compact rounded habit, colored foliage, and intense blue flowers
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple desirable traits from different parent plants into a single cultivar through controlled open pollination. The female parent 'Minbleu' contributes compact rounded habit and intense blue flowers, while the male parent 'Jason' contributes chartreuse foliage color. This merging of traits from separate cultivars creates a new plant that exhibits all three characteristics simultaneously, resolving the contradiction between trait versatility and consistency.
Solution Approach 2:
The breeding program employed systematic observation and selection feedback mechanisms. Multiple seedlings from the cross between 'Minbleu' and 'Jason' were evaluated over several growing seasons (2010-2012) to identify those exhibiting the most intense foliage color and compact habit. This iterative selection process ensured that only plants with stable, consistent combinations of all three traits were propagated, achieving both trait versatility and reliability.
2Adaptability or versatility
If open pollination breeding is used, then new trait combinations can be achieved, but the stability of characteristics across generations must be verified
Solution Approach 1:
The breeding program performed preliminary trait assessment early in the process by observing seedlings during their first growing season (2010) to identify potential candidates with desirable characteristics. This preliminary screening allowed the breeder to focus propagation efforts on only those plants showing the most promise, reducing the overall time required for verification while ensuring stable trait combinations were selected before formal propagation began in 2011.
3Reliability
If asexual propagation by softwood stem cuttings is used, then stable characteristics are maintained, but the propagation process requires specific timing and conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The propagation protocol specifies precise parameter conditions for successful softwood cutting propagation: cuttings must be taken during the summer growing season when plants are actively producing softwood, cuttings should be 4-6 inches in length, and they require specific humidity and temperature conditions during the rooting phase. By optimizing these parameters, the propagation process becomes more reliable and easier to execute consistently, maintaining trait stability while reducing propagation difficulty.
Data Source
AI summary
A new cultivar of Caryopteris plant named ‘Minigold’ that is characterized by its flowers that are lavender blue in color, its rounded and compact plant habit, and its young foliage that is chartreuse in color and mature foliage that is lime green in color.