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Hybridizing Daffodils

© Clay Higgins

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Introductions and Improvements in Daffodils

Introductions of new varieties, or improvements in daffodils are most likely to be by amateur hybridizers, and not by commercial sources. Unlike some other garden flowers, it takes years of effort to produce a single new variety. Commercial providers must make a profit to stay in business, therefore, commercial effort goes into getting access to, mechanical propogation, advertising, and selling established daffodil varieties.

New introductions only come from asexual reproduction, grown from seed. It is not unusual for the seed to take seven years to the first flower. Another seven years is needed to evaluate it, and followed by field trials to decide if the plant is worthy. Finally, it takes another seven years to increase it to the point that there are enough bulbs for commercial introductions. Most growers don't have the patience for hybridizing.

As a flip side of the coin, daffodil bulbs will divide and increase. This is the most common way of increasing the number of bulbs. However, when a bulb is split, or divides itself, the result is a "clone" of the original and not a new variety. Many of the commercial growers use a method called, chipping, to reproduce bulbs. This is a method of mechanically splitting bulbs into anywhere from two to 32 pieces, and growing new bulbs from each segment, but that process is for a future article.

New varieties come from seeds only. Each daffodil seed contains the potential for the introduction of a new daffodil variety. No two seeds will produce the same cultivar, even those from the same cross.

Hybridizing or Asexual Reproduction

Mary Lou Gripshover on suite101.com wrote a very technical article on hybridizing. Take a few minutes to read the information there, as well as the remainder of this article.

Natural hybridizing does not occur that often in daffodils as they are not usually self pollenating. It does happen ever so often by stray bees, wasps, or other insects, but not often enough. Cross pollenation by human hand is the most common method.

When making a cross, pollen is taken from the chosen parent and placed on the stigma (sticky surface of the pistil) of the seed parent. When the pollen lands on the seed parent and fertilizes it, a slender tube grows down through the stye to the ovary. Each pollen grain carries a nucleas that divides into two sperm on the way down the pollen tube. The seed is formed in the ovary. Often time the ovary will become enlarged, but for some reason the endosperm or food supply is absent, and if a seed is produced it may be a black husk. If fertilization took place, the ovary will enlarge and seed will form.