Breeding of Freesia hybrida ‘Ziyi’

Objective A new strain of novel-color and highly-adaptable freesia was bred to meet the diverse market demand for cut flowers, potted plants, and landscaping.

Method The Fujian-certified Freesia hybrida ‘Aurora’ as female parent and the Netherlands-origin F. hybrida ‘Rose Marie’ as male parent were used for the hybridization of an F₁ hybrid, Y₁P₁-2. After generations of asexual reproduction, selection, biological stability test, consistency observation, and SRAP molecular identification to confirm the hybrid progeny, the resulting plant was named F. hybrida ‘Ziyi’. Subsequently, comparative tests at multiple locations were conducted to examine the adaptability for cultivation and yield of seed bulbs and cut flowers of the newly bred strain.

Result The upper perianth of ‘Ziyi’ was brilliant purple (RHS: N87C), and the throat light yellow（RHS: 6D）in color. Planted from late September to early October, it bloomed 35–40 d from late February to early March in the following year. On average, the leaves on the plants were 37.34 cm long, the flower stems 38.66 cm long with 3–4 branches on each, the main inflorescence 8.75 cm with 9～10 main inflorescence florets, and the flower diameter 4.31 cm with a reproduction coefficient of 5.5–6.5. In trial cultivations at 3 localities, it showed consistent and stable coloration, floral pattern, and productions per 667 m² of 24600 commercial flowering bulbs and 53900 cut flowers.

Conclusion The new ‘Ziyi’ freesia had an exquisite purple color with stable floral traits, highly adaptable for cultivation, and applicable for landscaping. Thus, it could be commercially cultivated in Fuzhou, as well as areas of similar climate.