Coreopsis Electric Avenue Cultivar Mutation for Clear Yellow Inflorescences
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Solution Overview
Problem
There is a need for a new cultivar of Coreopsis verticillata that exhibits distinct characteristics such as clear yellow inflorescences, thread-leaf foliage, high bud count, cold hardiness, and vigorous growth habit, which are not met by existing cultivars like 'Route 66', 'Zagreb', and 'Moonbeam'.
Innovation Solution
The development of the Coreopsis verticillata 'Electric Avenue' cultivar, which arose from a naturally occurring branch mutation of 'Route 66', characterized by clear yellow inflorescences, thread-leaf foliage, high bud count, cold hardiness, and vigorous growth habit, achieved through asexual reproduction by stem tip cuttings.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If Coreopsis 'Route 66' is used as the parent plant, then the plant has yellow inflorescences with red eye, but the ray florets are paler yellow which does not meet the desire for clear yellow color
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and isolates the desired clear yellow color trait from the parent plant 'Route 66' through natural mutation and selection, separating the red eye characteristic and other undesired traits to create a new cultivar with pure clear yellow inflorescences
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the color parameter of the ray florets from paler yellow with red eye to clear yellow through natural mutation and selective breeding, achieving the desired color clarity and consistency
2Productivity
If Coreopsis 'Zagreb' is used, then the plant has dense growth habit and high stem count, but it requires supplemental lighting for winter propagation
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the photoperiod sensitivity parameter through natural mutation, allowing the new cultivar to maintain vigorous growth and high stem production without requiring supplemental lighting during winter propagation, unlike 'Zagreb'
3Shape
If Coreopsis 'Moonbeam' is used, then the plant has C. verticillata type foliage, but it has paler yellow ray florets and more open plant habit with lower stem count
Solution Approach 1:
The invention maintains the desirable C. verticillata type foliage of 'Moonbeam' while improving the local quality of stem production by selecting for high bud count and dense growth habit, achieving both good foliage and high productivity
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the plant habit parameter from open to dense through natural mutation and selection, increasing stem count per plant while maintaining the characteristic thread-leaf foliage
4Adaptability or versatility
If existing Coreopsis cultivars are used, then they have various characteristics, but none simultaneously exhibit clear yellow inflorescences, high bud count, cold hardiness, and vigorous growth habit
Solution Approach 1:
The invention merges multiple desirable traits (clear yellow inflorescences, high bud count, cold hardiness, vigorous growth habit) into a single new cultivar through natural mutation and selection, achieving a combination of traits not found in existing cultivars
Solution Approach 2:
The invention utilizes natural mutation occurring in a container-grown plant to generate the new cultivar without requiring complex breeding programs, allowing the plant to self-generate the desired trait combination through spontaneous mutation
Data Source
AI summary
A new cultivar of Coreopsis verticillata named ‘Electric Avenue’ characterized by its inflorescences that are clear yellow in color, its thread-leaf foliage, its high bud count, its height of 60 to 71 cm and an average spread of 60 cm, its cold hardiness in at least U.S.D.A. Zone 5, and its vigorous growth habit with heavy shoot production from over-wintered plants.