Articles
MORPHOLOGICAL AND MOLECULAR CHARACTERIZATION OF INTERGENERIC HYBRIDS BETWEEN THE ORCHID GENERA RENANTHERA AND VANDA
Article number
855_24
Pages
169 – 176
Language
English
Abstract
The Indo-Burmese mega-biodiversity hotspot houses a number of ornamental orchids belonging to rare, endangered, threatened and vulnerable species possessing highly attractive flowers.
However, till date, many of these beautiful orchids growing in the pristine forests of north-east India have remained largely unexplored and unexploited. Renanthera imschootiana Rolfe is an IUCN red-listed rare and endangered orchid classified under Appendix-I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). This orchid is renowned for its bright crimson, long-lasting floriferous spikes which bloom during spring every year. Vanda coerulea Griff. ex.
L., and Vanda testacea (L.) Reichb.f. are simultaneously deeply coloured flowers with high aesthetic values.
Using Renanthera imschootiana as the female parent, we have crossed it with the Vanda species and intergeneric hybrids have been synthesized, viz., Renantanda Kebisana Shija (R. imschootiana × V. coerulea) and Renantanda Prof GJ Sharma (V. testacea × R. imschootiana). These hybrids have been registered in The International Orchid Register of the Royal Horticultural Society, London.
We have also developed in vitro propagation protocols for these parents and their hybrids keeping in view of their conservational and eco-restorative considerations.
The synthesized hybrids produced beautifully coloured flowers with shelf-lives lasting from 1 to 11/2 months.
Morphological as well as molecular characterizations of these hybrids have been made for confirmation of hybridity and other genetic information.
However, till date, many of these beautiful orchids growing in the pristine forests of north-east India have remained largely unexplored and unexploited. Renanthera imschootiana Rolfe is an IUCN red-listed rare and endangered orchid classified under Appendix-I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). This orchid is renowned for its bright crimson, long-lasting floriferous spikes which bloom during spring every year. Vanda coerulea Griff. ex.
L., and Vanda testacea (L.) Reichb.f. are simultaneously deeply coloured flowers with high aesthetic values.
Using Renanthera imschootiana as the female parent, we have crossed it with the Vanda species and intergeneric hybrids have been synthesized, viz., Renantanda Kebisana Shija (R. imschootiana × V. coerulea) and Renantanda Prof GJ Sharma (V. testacea × R. imschootiana). These hybrids have been registered in The International Orchid Register of the Royal Horticultural Society, London.
We have also developed in vitro propagation protocols for these parents and their hybrids keeping in view of their conservational and eco-restorative considerations.
The synthesized hybrids produced beautifully coloured flowers with shelf-lives lasting from 1 to 11/2 months.
Morphological as well as molecular characterizations of these hybrids have been made for confirmation of hybridity and other genetic information.
Publication
Authors
R.K. Kishor, G.J. Sharma
Keywords
intergeneric hybrids, orchids, PCR-RFLP, RAPD, Renanthera, Vanda
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