Hydrangea BC6.1 Cultivar Cooler Resistance and Blue Pigmentation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing Hydrangea macrophylla cultivars lack resistance to damage in commercial coolers and do not consistently produce attractive, blue-pigmented sepals, which are desirable for commercial applications.
Innovation Solution
The new cultivar 'BC6.1' is developed through a controlled cross between 'LK49' and 'Amsterdam', resulting in compact plants with large, attractive inflorescences and sepals that exhibit blue pigmentation, which is stable across generations and resistant to cooler conditions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If existing Hydrangea macrophylla cultivars are used, then they have basic growth characteristics, but they lack resistance to damage in commercial coolers and do not consistently produce attractive blue-pigmented sepals
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by selecting and combining specific genetic traits from parent varieties to achieve desired phenotypic parameters. The cross between 'LK49' and 'Amsterdam' produces offspring with optimized parameters including cooler resistance, sepal pigmentation intensity, and inflorescence size, resolving the contradiction between reliability and adaptability
Solution Approach 2:
The new cultivar 'BC6.1' acts as a composite genetic material combining traits from two parent varieties. It integrates the cooler resistance from 'LK49' with the sepal pigmentation and inflorescence characteristics from 'Amsterdam', creating a unified plant that simultaneously achieves both reliability and adaptability
2Productivity
If the plant produces large inflorescences with large sepalous florets and blue pigmentation, then commercial attractiveness improves, but the plant may become more susceptible to damage in commercial coolers
Solution Approach 1:
The patent optimizes multiple parameters simultaneously through selective breeding: inflorescence size (60-70mm florets), sepal pigmentation intensity (R.H.S. 100B blue), and cooler resistance. This multi-parameter optimization achieves high commercial attractiveness while maintaining durability in commercial storage conditions
3Illumination intensity
If the plant is grown under pH conditions that produce blue pigmentation, then sepal color attractiveness improves, but the pigmentation may not be stable across different generations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent establishes stable genetic predisposition for blue pigmentation through controlled cross-breeding before commercial propagation. The F1 generation exhibits consistent blue sepal coloration that remains stable through asexual reproduction, eliminating the need for continuous pH manipulation and ensuring generational stability
Solution Approach 2:
The new cultivar 'BC6.1' serves as a stable genetic template that can be replicated through asexual reproduction. The blue pigmentation trait is firmly fixed in the genotype, allowing consistent copying of the desired phenotype across multiple generations without degradation
Data Source
AI summary
A new and distinct cultivar of Hydrangea macrophylla (Thunb.) named ‘BC6.1’ originated as a controlled cross between unpatented varieties. The cultivar ‘BC6.1’ can be blue or red depending on the acidity of the soil and the presence of aluminum. The variety ‘BC6.1’ has large attractive inflorescences with large sepalous florets, distinct sepal pigmentation and good commercial characteristics. When grown in the presence of aluminum, the under side of the sepals is R.H.S. 86 A (violet group), the underside of the sepals is R.H.S. 88 D (violet group).