Lobelia Cultivar DANANB3 Trailing Habit Day-Neutral Flowering
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Solution Overview
Problem
There is a need for new trailing perennial Lobelia varieties that exhibit unique horticultural characteristics such as a trailing plant habit, high floriferousness, and day-neutral flowering, which are not adequately met by existing cultivars.
Innovation Solution
The development of the Lobelia cultivar 'DANANB3' through a planned breeding program, combining traits from proprietary seedling varieties 'LOB-6-369' and 'LOB-6-401', resulting in a cultivar with a trailing habit, lighter lilac/pink flowers, matte textured foliage, and improved branching characteristics.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a breeding program combines traits from different parent varieties to create new Lobelia cultivars, then unique horticultural characteristics (trailing habit, flower color, foliage texture) are achieved, but the complexity of the breeding process and trait stabilization increases
Solution Approach 1:
The breeding program segmented the desired traits by selecting specific parent varieties with complementary characteristics: the female parent 'LOB-6-369' contributed trailing habit and floriferousness, while the male parent 'LOB-6-401' contributed compact growth and foliage texture. This segmentation of trait sources simplified the breeding process by focusing on combining specific desirable traits rather than managing complex multi-trait inheritance.
Solution Approach 2:
The preliminary action was performed through careful selection and characterization of parent varieties before crossing. The parents were pre-screened for stable inheritance of key traits (trailing habit, flower color, foliage texture), ensuring that the F1 generation would exhibit consistent phenotypes. This preliminary characterization reduced the complexity of subsequent generations by establishing stable trait inheritance patterns early in the breeding program.
2Reliability
If existing Lobelia cultivars are used, then established varieties with known characteristics are available, but they do not meet the need for trailing perennial varieties with high floriferousness and day-neutral flowering
Solution Approach 1:
The new cultivar DANANB3 exhibits self-service characteristics through day-neutral flowering, allowing it to automatically adjust its flowering cycle without external environmental cues. This trait enables continuous flowering throughout the growing season regardless of day length variations, providing reliable and adaptable performance in diverse gardening conditions without requiring specific photoperiod management.
Solution Approach 2:
The breeding program achieved parameter changes by modifying key horticultural parameters: transforming the growth habit to trailing (vs. erect), changing flower color to lilac/pink (vs. purple or white), and altering foliage texture to matte (vs. shiny). These parameter changes created a cultivar that meets the unmet need for trailing perennial Lobelia with high floriferousness and day-neutral flowering, while maintaining stable inheritance of these modified parameters.
Data Source
AI summary
A new and distinct Lobelia cultivar named ‘DANANB3’ is disclosed, characterized by having lilac flowers flowers, trailing plant habit, highly floriferous flowering and a day-neutral flowering habit. The new variety is a Lobelia, normally produced as an outdoor garden or container plant.