- Topics: Environmental Horticulture | Deng, Zhanao
Publication #ENH1170
New Gerbera Daisy Varieties for Large Containers and Flower Gardens1
Zhanao Deng2
Gerbera daisy is a popular flower throughout the world (Tjia, Black, and Park Brown 2008). Many people enjoy growing this flower in gardens or large containers. Six new varieties have been released recently by the University of Florida/IFAS gerbera breeding program at the Gulf Coast Research and Education Center in Wimauma, Florida (Deng and Harbaugh 2010). These varieties have been selected and tested specifically for use in large containers and flower gardens and can produce high-quality plants with numerous bright-colored flowers (Table 1). Flower stems (peduncles) of these varieties are 12–18 inches long and are ideal for eye-catching color displays in the garden and large containers, or for use as cut flowers, either alone or as part of a larger arrangement. Greenhouse trials have shown that these new varieties bloom earlier and produce more flowers than existing commercial varieties. Additionally, these varieties seem to be more resistant to or tolerant of powdery mildew, the most common and damaging fungal disease in gerbera (Moyer and Peres 2008).
Descriptions
UFGE 4141. Leaves: simple, pinnately lobed, with deep lobes in the basal third, shallow lobes in the central third, and no obvious lobes near the top third. Flowers: semi-double, orange-red, 4½–5½ inches in diameter (Figures 1 and 2). Stems: 16–20 inches long.
Flower of UFGE 4141 (Photo: Gail Bowman, UF/IFAS)
[Click thumbnail to enlarge.]
UFGE 7014. Leaves: simple, with medium lobes in the basal third, shallow lobes in the central third, and no obvious lobes near the top third. Flowers: semi-double, white, 4–4½ inches in diameter (Figures 3 and 4). Stems: 14–17 inches long.
Flower of UFGE 7014 (Photo: Gail Bowman, UF/IFAS)
Figure 3.
[Click thumbnail to enlarge.]
UFGE 7015. Leaves: simple, with medium lobes in the basal third and no obvious lobes in the central and top thirds. Flowers: semi-double, light pink to white, approximately 4 inches in diameter (Figures 5 and 6). Stems: about 15 inches long.
Flower of UFGE 7015 (Photo: Gail Bowman, UF/IFAS)
Figure 5.
[Click thumbnail to enlarge.]
UFGE 7023. Leaves: simple, with deep lobes in the basal third and shallow or no obvious lobes in central and top thirds. Flowers: semi-double, yellow, 4½–5 inches in diameter (Figures 7 and 8). Stems: 12–16 inches long.
Flower of UFGE 7023 (Photo: Gail Bowman, UF/IFAS)
Figure 7.
[Click thumbnail to enlarge.]
UFGE 7032. Leaves: simple, pinnately lobed, with deep lobes in the basal third, medium lobes in the central third, and shallow lobes near the top third. Flowers: semi-double, yellow, 4–4½ inches in diameter (Figures 9 and 10). Stems: about 15 inches long.
Flower of UFGE 7032 (Photo: Gail Bowman, UF/IFAS)
Figure 9.
[Click thumbnail to enlarge.]
Flowering plants of UFGE 7032 grown in gallon containers (Photo: Gail Bowman, UF/IFAS)
[Click thumbnail to enlarge.]
UFGE 7034. Leaves: simple, pinnately lobed, with deep lobes in the basal third, shallow lobes in the central third, and no obvious lobes near the top third. Flowers: full double, orange-red, 4–5 inches in diameter (Figures 11 and 12). Stems: about 15 inches long.
Flower of UFGE 7034 (Photo: Gail Bowman, UF/IFAS)
Figure 11.
[Click thumbnail to enlarge.]
Table 1 describes quality and flower production for six new gerbera varieties and two commercial varieties (checks) evaluated in winter 2008 and spring 2009 (Experiment 1) and summer and fall 2009 (Experiment 2) in Wimauma, Florida. Tissue culture liners of these varieties from Agri-Starts, Inc., Apopka, Florida, were planted in gallon plastic containers filled with Fafard 3B potting mix amended with 15-9-12 Osmocote® controlled release fertilizer (9 lb. per cubic yard) and MicroMax trace element fertilizer (1.8 lb. per cubic yard). Plants were grown in the greenhouse and sprayed with insecticides or fungicides as necessary.
Powdery Mildew Resistance
Two experiments (Experiments 3 and 4) were conducted to evaluate the resistance or susceptibility of these gerbera varieties to powdery mildew and their flower production under natural powdery mildew disease pressure. Experiment 3 was performed in winter 2008 and spring 2009, and Experiment 4 was performed in summer and fall 2009. The causal agent of powdery mildew at the experiment sites was Podosphaera (syn. Sphaerotheca) fusca (Fr.) S. Blumer (Moyer and Peres 2008).
UFGE 7015 had the lowest powdery mildew severity ratings (averaged 3.6), significantly lower than the ratings of the two commercial varieties (checks) (8.0–8.6), thus indicating a considerable level of powdery mildew resistance in this variety (Table 2). Its powdery mildew severity rating was also significantly lower than that of the other UFGE gerberas.
UFGE 4141 and UFGE 7034 were less susceptible to powdery mildew than the checks (Table 2). UFGE 4141 and UFGE 7034 were the most floriferous in Experiment 4 and moderately floriferous in Experiment 3 when natural powdery mildew disease pressure existed. Similarly, UFGE 7014 was significantly less susceptible to powdery mildew than the checks in Experiment 4 throughout the evaluation. It had lower severity ratings than the checks in Experiment 3, but the differences were not statistically significant. UFGE 7014 remained more floriferous than the checks in both Experiments 3 and 4.
UFGE 7023 and UFGE 7032 had lower powdery mildew severity ratings than the checks in Experiment 4 (6.0–6.1 vs. 9.4–9.8), but their ratings in Experiment 3 were close to those of the checks (Table 2). In both tests, UFGE 7023 and UFGE 7032 produced more flowers than the checks.
Availability
Plant patents will be sought from the United States Patent and Trademark Office, and plant patent rights will be assigned to the University of Florida, Board of Trustees. Propagation and production will be licensed by the Florida Foundation Seed Producers, Inc., P.O. Box 110200, Gainesville, FL 32611. Information on propagation agreements can be obtained from the Florida Foundation Seed Producers, Inc.
Greenhouse Production and Plant Care in Large Containers or Flower Gardens
These varieties are vegetatively propagated through tissue culture. Information on the sources of tissue culture liners for these varieties can be obtained from the Florida Foundation Seed Producers, Inc. For information on greenhouse production of these and other gerberas, refer to Dole and Wilkins (1999), Kessler (1999), and Rogers and Tjia (1990). For information about planting and caring for gerberas, refer to Tjia, Black, and Park Brown (2008).
Disclaimer
Specific trade names are listed here only for giving specific information. They do not constitute endorsement or recommendation of these products.
References
Deng, Z., and B. K. Harbaugh. 2010. UFGE 4141, UFGE 7014, UFGE 7015, UFGE 7023, UFGE 7032, and UFGE 7034: Six new gerbera cultivars for marketing flowering plants in large containers. HortScience 45(6): 971–974.
Dole, J. M., and H.F. Wilkins. 1999. Gerbera. In Floriculture principles and species, 356–61. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Hausbeck, M. K., W. R. Quackenbush, and S. D. Linderman. 2002. Evaluation of cultivars of African daisy for resistance to powdery mildew. http://www.plantmanagementnetwork.org/pub/trial/bctests/REPORTS/2003/O004.pdf [1 June 2012].
Kessler, J. K., Jr. 1999. Greenhouse production of gerbera daisies. ANR-1144. Auburn: Alabama Cooperative Extension System. http://www.aces.edu/pubs/docs/A/ANR-1144/.
Moyer, C., and N. A. Peres. 2008. Powdery mildew of gerbera daisy. PP257. Gainesville: University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences. http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/PP257.
Rogers, M. N., and B. O. Tjia. 1990. Gerbera production. Portland, OR: Timber Press.
Tjia, B., R. J. Black, and S. Park-Brown. 2008. Gerberas for Florida. CIR527. Gainesville: University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences. http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/mg034.
Tables
Table 1.
Plant quality score, flower quality score, flower production, and days to first open flowers of six new gerbera varieties and two commercial varieties in two experiments
Varieties |
Plant quality |
Flower quality |
Number of flowers produced per plant over nine weeks |
Days to first open flower |
UFGE 4141 |
3.7 / 4.4 |
3.8 / 4.2 |
5.6 / 11.9 |
37.8 / 44.6 |
UFGE 7014 |
4.7 / 4.7 |
4.7 / 5.0 |
7.6 / 9.0 |
42.3 / 49.6 |
UFGE 7015 |
4.8 / - |
4.5 / - |
9.6 / - |
52.2 / - |
UFGE 7023 |
4.5 / 5.0 |
3.7 / 3.9 |
4.9 / 7.8 |
36.2 / 49.8 |
UFGE 7032 |
3.9 / 4.8 |
4.8 / 4.8 |
6.2 / 9.0 |
41.2 / 45.3 |
UFGE 7034 |
4.5 / 4.6 |
4.9 / 4.9 |
10.2 / 12.1 |
39.8 / 41.3 |
'Bimini' |
3.1 / 3.3 |
4.8 / 5.0 |
3.0 / 5.5 |
50.1 / 64.0 |
'Pensacola' |
3.2 / 3.3 |
4.1 / 4.3 |
1.4 / 2.5 |
55.8 / 68.8 |
Note: Scores before and after the slash indicate data collected from Experiments 1 and 2, respectively. A dash indicates that data were not collected. Plant quality was rated using a scale of 1–5, where 1 = few leaves or long petioles, very poor, and unacceptable, 3 = fair, and 5 = excellent, full, attractive, symmetrical plants. Flower quality was rated on a scale of 1–5, where 1 = very poor, 3 = fair, some blemishes, but acceptable, and 5 = excellent, bright, uniform, and no blemishes. |
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Table 2.
Powdery mildew severity ratings and flower production of six new gerbera varieties and two commercial varieties
Experiment 3 |
Experiment 4 |
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Varieties |
Powdery mildew ratings |
Number of flowers produced per plant over nine weeks |
Powdery mildew ratings |
Number of flowers produced per plant over nine weeks |
UFGE 4141 |
6.8 |
4.4 |
5.3 |
5.6 |
UFGE 7014 |
6.6 |
5.6 |
7.0 |
4.3 |
UFGE 7015 |
3.6 |
7.6 |
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UFGE 7023 |
7.8 |
6.0 |
6.0 |
3.5 |
UFGE 7032 |
7.4 |
6.2 |
6.1 |
4.6 |
UFGE 7034 |
6.2 |
5.0 |
5.5 |
5.1 |
'Bimini' |
8.0 |
3.2 |
9.4 |
2.6 |
'Pensacola' |
8.6 |
3.0 |
9.8 |
1.1 |
Note: Plants were grown under natural powdery mildew pressure in winter 2008 and spring 2009 (Experiment 3) and summer and fall 2009 (Experiment 4) in Wimauma, Florida. Powdery mildew severity was rated on a scale of 1–10 (Hausbeck, Quackenbush, and Linderman 2002), where 1 = no disease, 2 = trace to 10% of leaf surface covered with powdery mildew, 3 = 10%–20%, 4 = 20% –30%, 5 = 30%–40%, 6 = 40%–50%, 7 = 50%–60%, 8 = 60%–70%, 9 = 70%–80%, and 10 = 80%–100%. |
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Footnotes
This document is ENH1170, one of a series of the Environmental Horticulture Department, Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida. Original publication date July 2010. Visit the EDIS website at http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu.
Zhanao Deng, associate professor, Gulf Coast Research and Education Center, Cooperative Extension Service, IFAS, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611
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