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GAINESVILLE, Fla. — A plant always makes for a nice gesture on Valentine’s Day, and University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences researchers are breeding flora that may emit alluring aromas to your sweetheart.
Zhanao Deng, a professor of environmental horticulture at the UF/IFAS Gulf Coast Research and Education Center in Balm, Florida, breeds gerbera daisy cultivars that are resistant to powdery mildew, the most destructive fungal disease for this type of flower.
Deng and his team have released several gerbera daisy cultivars, and some of them performed well in industry trials in Georgia, Ohio and Texas.
The research doesn’t stop there as Deng and his lab are breeding more lines for the future. Meanwhile, they are sequencing the gerbera daisy’s genes, developing DNA-based molecular markers, and trying to find and engineer the gene or genes that control resistance to the powdery mildew.
“We hope these markers and new tools will help the development of new powdery mildew-resistant cut gerbera daisies, which are popular for many occasions, including Valentine’s, weddings and more,” Deng said.
You could also give your significant other an orchid. UF/IFAS environmental horticulture professor Wagner Vendrame uses cryopreservation to keep orchids fresh.
“Recent advances in orchid cryopreservation have provided simple and effective protocols for long-term storage of orchid seeds and pollen at ultra-low temperatures,” said Vendrame, a faculty member at the UF/IFAS Tropical Research and Education Center in Homestead, Florida. “Cryopreservation is an important tool that allows long-term conservation and preservation of endangered orchid species.”
Other suggestions for plants to give at Valentine’s Day? Nicole Pinson, a UF/IFAS Extension Hillsborough County horticulture agent, recommends the following: African violets, cyclamen, hydrangea, bulbs, amaryllis, azaleas, begonias, camellias, gardenias, hibiscus and red aglaonema.
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Caption: Zhanao Deng, a UF/IFAS professor of environmental horticulture, shows the flowers of gerbera daisy to be used for hand pollination. Valentine’s Day isn’t just for roses. The gerbera daisy one of the plants bred by UF/IFAS scientists that you can give to a loved one for Valentine’s Day.
Credit: UF/IFAS
By: Brad Buck, 352-294-3303, bradbuck@ufl.edu
Sources: Zhanao Deng, 813-633-4134 zdeng@ufl.edu
Wagner Vendrame, 786-217-9236, vendrame@ufl.edu
Nicole Pinson, 813-744-5519, ext. 54145, PinsonN@hillsboroughcounty.org
The mission of the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences is to develop knowledge relevant to agricultural, human and natural resources and to make that knowledge available to sustain and enhance the quality of human life. With more than a dozen research facilities, 67 county Extension offices, and award-winning students and faculty in the UF College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, UF/IFAS works to bring science-based solutions to the state’s agricultural and natural resources industries, and all Florida residents. Visit the UF/IFAS web site at ifas.ufl.edu and follow us on social media at @UF_IFAS.
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