Flower Breeding of Native Plants: the Chilean Experience

Chile is the natural habitat of many plant species, according to its large variety of ecosystems. In the past few years we have seen efforts to develop Chilean varieties, particularly in the taxa Leucocoryne, Rhodophiala, Alstroemeria, Chloraea, as well as foliage. The techniques used included selection, conventional breeding, polyploidization and embryo rescue. As a result, three cultivars of Leucocoryne were patented in the USA and Chile (valid until 2010). In Rhodophiala, interesting hybrids and polyploids were obtained, but with two unresolved problems: long juvenile periods and short postharvest periods (7 to 10 days). In Alstroemeria there are two breeding programs. Some interesting specimens have been developed, but the main challenge ahead is the shape of the flower and its size. The second program developed specimens with the aroma, but lacking the desired flower shape that could make this flower competitive. The challenges that the wild orchids face are: long juvenile periods and plants that bloom every two years. This program will soon release 4 hybrids to the market. The second one included frost resistance. Regarding foliage, there are three programs at a very early stage; they use mass selection to improve native species.