Hydrangea 'Grace' Cultivar Cold Storage Damage Resistance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing hydrangea cultivars face challenges in inflorescence damage from commercial cooler conditions and petal edge fading, particularly for dark pink and red varieties, and lack resistance to cold temperatures.
Innovation Solution
The new cultivar Hydrangea macrophylla 'Grace' is developed through a controlled cross between 'LK49' and 'Amsterdam', exhibiting larger sepalous florets, strong stems, and improved resistance to cooler conditions, with stable asexual reproduction characteristics, including large attractive inflorescences and distinct sepal pigmentation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Duration of action of stationary object
If commercial coolers are used to store hydrangea inflorescences, then storage is enabled, but inflorescence damage occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by selecting and breeding hydrangea cultivars with specific genetic characteristics that alter their physiological response to cold storage. The 'LK49' parent cultivar and its progeny possess inherent traits that enable them to withstand cooler temperatures without suffering the damage that affects other hydrangeas, thus resolving the contradiction between storage duration and inflorescence damage through biological parameter modification rather than changing the storage conditions themselves.
2Ease of manufacture
If dark pink and red hydrangea varieties are bred, then attractive pigmentation is achieved, but sepal darkening occurs as florets age
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by selectively breeding for resistance to darkening specifically in the sepal tips and edges, while maintaining the desired dark pink and red pigmentation in other areas. The new cultivar exhibits localized color stability in the problematic sepal regions while preserving the attractive overall pigmentation, thus resolving the contradiction between pigmentation attractiveness and color stability through differential trait expression in different plant parts.
3Ease of manufacture
If larger sepalous florets are bred, then visual appeal is improved, but plant size increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by concentrating the development of larger sepalous florets specifically in the inflorescence structures, while maintaining relatively compact overall plant dimensions. The new cultivar achieves enhanced visual appeal through locally enlarged floral parts without a proportional increase in total plant volume, thus resolving the contradiction between visual appeal and plant size through localized trait enhancement.
Data Source
AI summary
A new and distinct cultivar of Hydrangea macrophylla (Thunb.) named ‘Grace’ originated as a controlled cross between unpatented varieties. The cultivar ‘Grace’ can be blue or red depending on the acidity of the soil and the presence of aluminum, but is preferably grown as a red variety. The variety ‘Grace’ has large attractive inflorescences with large sepalous florets, distinct sepal pigmentation and good tolerance to cold temperatures. The upperside of the sepals is R.H.S. 63 A (red-purple group), the underside of the sepals is R.H.S. 63 D (red-purple group)