Osteospermum Cultivar with Spoon-Shaped Pink Petals
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Solution Overview
Problem
There is a need for a new cultivar of Osteospermum hybrida that exhibits compact growth habit, early flowering, and distinct pink spoon-shaped petals, as existing cultivars lack these specific characteristics.
Innovation Solution
The 'Astra Candy Spoon' cultivar, developed through a polycross breeding system, features pink spoon-shaped flowers, early flowering, good garden performance, and a compact plant habit, propagated via vegetative cuttings, retaining its distinctive traits across generations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Shape
If existing Osteospermum cultivars are used, then they have basic flowering capability, but they lack compact growth habit and distinct pink spoon-shaped petals
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by selectively breeding Osteospermum plants to modify specific traits including petal shape (spoon-shaped), petal color (pink), and growth habit (compact). This involves changing genetic parameters through controlled polycross breeding to achieve the desired phenotype combination that differs from existing cultivars.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by focusing on specific local characteristics of the plant - particularly the shape and color of the ray florets (spoon-shaped pink petals) and the overall compact growth habit. Rather than changing the entire plant uniformly, the breeding targets specific local features to create distinctive visual characteristics while maintaining overall plant health and flowering capability.
2Shape
If breeding for distinct flower characteristics is pursued, then unique spoon-shaped pink flowers are achieved, but breeding time and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by establishing a polycross breeding system in advance that maintains a population of plants with desired traits. This preliminary breeding population was developed over time (with the cultivar originating in 2003 and being propagated from 2006), creating a ready source of genetically diverse material that already exhibits the spoon-shaped pink flower characteristics, thus reducing future breeding time.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies continuity of useful action through asexual reproduction via vegetative cuttings, which allows the cultivated plant to retain its distinctive characteristics across multiple generations without requiring continuous sexual breeding. This continuous propagation method maintains the bred traits permanently in the propagated plants, eliminating the need to repeat the lengthy breeding process.
3Adaptability or versatility
If polycross breeding system is used, then genetic diversity and distinctive traits are achieved, but breeding complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies self-service by utilizing bees as natural pollinators in the polycross breeding system. Instead of manually performing complex cross-pollination procedures, the breeding system leverages natural bee activity to achieve cross-pollination among the Osteospermum plants, thereby reducing human intervention and simplifying the breeding process while still maintaining genetic diversity through multiple parent plants.
Data Source
AI summary
A Osteospermum cultivar particularly distinguished by pink flowers with spoon-shaped petals, early flowering, good garden performance and a compact plant habit is disclosed.