Impatiens Balfaforch Cultivar Breeding for Trailing Habit

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Solution Overview

Problem

There is a need for Impatiens cultivars with numerous flowers, excellent basal branching, and a vigorous, mounded-trailing growth habit, which existing cultivars do not adequately fulfill.

Innovation Solution

The development of a new cultivar, 'Balfaforch', resulting from cross-pollination between Impatiens flaccida NG5 and Impatiens hawkeri Divine F1 Series Lavender, characterized by lavender-colored flowers, medium green foliage, and a trailing growth habit, which is reproduced true to type through asexual propagation.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If existing Impatiens cultivars are used, then they have basic flowering characteristics, but they do not have numerous flowers, excellent basal branching, and vigorous mounded-trailing growth habit

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvenumber of flowersVSAvoidgrowth habit

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The patent combines two different Impatiens species (Impatiens flaccida and Impatiens hawkeri) through cross-pollination to create a hybrid cultivar that merges the desirable traits of both parents, including increased flower production and improved growth habit characteristics

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The breeding program selectively modified key parameters including flower quantity, branching pattern, and growth habit to achieve the desired vigorous mounded-trailing form with numerous flowers, moving away from the limited characteristics of existing cultivars

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

2Adaptability or versatility

If cross-pollination breeding is performed to develop new traits, then new characteristics are achieved, but the breeding process requires significant time and resources

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveflower color and growth habitVSAvoidbreeding development time

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent employs a systematic breeding program with predetermined objectives, selecting specific parent plants with known desirable traits and using controlled cross-pollination to efficiently produce offspring with target characteristics, thereby reducing the time required to develop new cultivars

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

3Stability of the object's composition

If asexual reproduction is used to propagate the cultivar, then true-to-type reproduction is achieved, but the propagation process must maintain consistent environmental conditions

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetrait consistencyVSAvoidpropagation complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Stability of the object's compositionVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The patent uses terminal stem cuttings as a disposable propagation medium that can be easily obtained from the parent plant, rooted in a controlled environment, and then transplanted to production, providing an simple and effective method for true-to-type reproduction

Inventive Principle:

Principle #27Cheap short-living objects (Disposable)

Data Source

PatentUSPP18851P2Impatiens plant named `Balfaforch`

Publication Date: 2008.05.27 BALL HORTICULTURAL CO

AI summary

A new and distinct cultivar of Impatiens plant named ‘Balfaforch’, characterized by its lavender-colored flowers, medium green-colored foliage, and vigorous, trailing growth habit.