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FLOWER CROPS

ORNAMENTAL ROSE (Rosa spp.)

Breeding
Hybridization among scented, ornamental and wild roses was undertaken to generate new floral
variations (Table 21). Inter-specific hybridization was carried out among 6 different rose species
(Rosa damascena,R.bourboniana, R.multiflora,R.centifolia,R.rugosa and R.chinensis minima) to generate
desirable variations for flower, fruit and essential oil characters. Inter-varietal crosses involving
reciprocals were attempted in R. damascena and R. hybrida (ornamental roses), respectively. Overall,
112 seeds were obtained from 76 pollinations in crosses involving ornamental roses, 93 seeds from
202 pollinations in back-crosses, 19 seeds from 61 pollinations in inter-varietal crosses among
varieties of damask rose and 981 seeds from 317 pollinations involving inter-specific crosses.

Table 21 Seed set obtained under inter-varietal and inter-specific hybridization program

Cross No. of pollinations No. of seeds
Inter-varietal
61 19
a) Damask rose 76 112
b) Ornamental rose 317 981
Inter-specific 202 93
Back-cross

Himalayan Wonder-a thornless ornamental rose

Rose is universally acclaimed as the “queen of flowers”.The plant has a wide range of adaptability
to various soil and climatic conditions. It has a long blooming period and its flowers are beautiful
with good shelf life. Besides its use as cut flowers, rose is grown in beddings and gardens for its
ornamental values. However, the presence of thorns in the plant irritates the consumer and is
an undesirable trait. Therefore in an earlier work, a thornless ‘bud sport' ornamental rose was
selected naturally from among 30 plants of cv First Red having thorns. In the current year, the
performance of the thornless ‘bud sport' was evaluated under polyhouse conditions (Fig. 86 A,B
& C). The vegetative and reproductive parameters of this thornless ‘bud sport' ornamental rose
were recorded (Table 22).The flower colour of this thornless ‘bud sport' was Red Purple as per
the Royal Horticulture Society (RHS) Colour chart.

CSIR-IHBT Annual Report 2012-13Fig. 86 Himalayan Wonder-a thornless ‘bud sport' ornamental rose of cv First Red (A) plants in full
bloom and (B) close up flower in full bloom

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