BREEDING RESEARCH IN BEGONIA.

Begonia varieties used as potted plants are of great commercial interest, the auction turnover in The Netherlands came to Dfl. 35 millions in 1990.

The current varieties belong mainly to the ‘ Elatior-hybrids ‘ representing 88% of the total Begonia production.

However, yearround production is limited by poor winter flowering capacity, leading back to a summer flowering ancestral species.

Selection for good winter flowering genotypes was not succesful because of the small genetic base of ‘ Elatior-hybrids ‘.

Our breeding research project aims to evaluate the winter flowering capacity of wild Begonia species followed by interspecific hybridization.
Special attention is paid to yellow flowering species belonging to the African section Scutobegonia.
Research is carried out in cooperation with the Department of Plant Taxonomy (Wageningen Agricultural University).

II International Symposium on the Development of New Floricultural Crops

G.H. Kroon

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.1993.337.6