DUS testing of cut-flower orchids

Abstract

Distinctiveness, Uniformity and Stability (DUS) testing provides rights for breeders to exploit or develop new plant varieties, to allow access to foreign varieties with widen gene pool, to promote intensive breeding activities and to prevent unauthorized varieties exploitations. In the present investigation, 41, 14, 11, 9, 50 and 40 hybrids of Cymbidium, Dendrobium, Vanda, Cattleya, Phalaenopsis and Oncidium, respectively, were studied for development of DUS test guidelines using common descriptors. In Cymbidium, out of 66 characteristics, pseudobulb size, inflorescence length, number of flowers, flower width, flower duration, flower predominant color, lip ornamentation, blooming time; in Dendrobium, among 60 characteristics, plant height, internode length and number, inflorescence length, flower width, lip colour, and ornamentation and flowering time and in Vanda, among 66 characteristics, plant type, internode length, leaf type, spike length, flower number, inflorescence colour, sepal and petal ornamentation, lip shape, colour and ornamentation, spur length and flowering time were used for grouping of hybrids. In Cattleya, among 53 common descriptors developed, plant height, leaf number/ pseudobulb, flower width in front view, petal predominant colour, lip predominant colour and lip colour pattern and in Phalaenopsis, among 58 common descriptors developed, plant size, flower width in front view, petal predominant colour and colour pattern, predominant colour and colour pattern of apical lobe of lip whereas in Oncidium among 60 common descriptors, plant type, leaf number per basal leaves /pseudobulb, flower width in front view, petal main colour, petal colour pattern, lip main colour and lip colour pattern were used for grouping of hybrids.