Early detection of the Japanese Morning Glory gene – Blown

As my Japanese Morning Glory seedlings continue to grow, I’ve observed an interesting thing.  The difference in the development of the first leaves of mutant system parentwood plants (the ones that produce seed to perpetuate the system) is dramatic.  One mutant system labeled Q0402 has as its defining plant (or plant of appreciation), a plant with sterile white feathered flowers. Another feathered flower system is labeled Q0426 and it has blue flowers.  The primary genetic difference between the two systems, besides the color and structure of the flower,  is the presence of the Blown (B) gene in the Q0402 system. The dominant Blown gene modifies the growth pattern of the leaf.   The Japanese often refer to the characteristics of the Blown gene as “forest wind”.  I can only imagine that this is alluding to the effect a strong wind has on a leaf’s position and possibly a resulting quaking action…similar to the aspen leaf as it shows its lighter colored underside in the wind.

Here is a picture of the Q0402 seedling showing the first leaf in an upsidedown position. The underside of the leaf is actually facing up.  This leaf position is not as pronounced on the mature plant.

Q0402 seedling

 

This picture of the Q0426 seedling shows what we think of as a normal position of the developing leaf.  The top surface of the leaf is facing up.  The curled edge of the leaf is a characteristic of this system and has been carefully selected for by the Japanese.  This upward curled leaf is often referred to as “holding”, or one that can hold water.  This trait is very exagerated in the plant of appreciation which is sterile and has the feathered flowers.  The shape, position and configuration of the leaves on these plants was as important as the flowers to the early developers.

Q0426 seedling

Kikyou – The Star Japanese Morning Glory

Red Kikyou with white margin

The Kikyou Japanese Morning Glory is a classification of Asagao that has a star shaped flower. The entire plant is usually smaller statured, does not twine as well as normal JMGs and the leaves and flowers are a bit smaller but have more substance. These flowers will last longer than normal flowers and sometimes will stay open a second day if protected from hot sun. For this reason alone they are a highly desireable selection.

The unique shape of the flower is a result of the recessive gene star (s). Leaves on these plants are often a darker green and the rear rounded lobes are exagerated and often actually overlap. The Japanese often call this type of leaf an eddy leaf, referring to the whirlpool like swirling configuration caused by the overlapping lobes at the petiole attachment. Kikyou flowers often show very attractive petaloid development inside the flower causing a double look. These are more frequent on earlier flowers and it often causes sterility. Later single flowers are fertile and develop seed pods.

Purple Kikyou

The Japanese have actually classified this plant as a mutant, but put it in the group of mutants called “Masaki” which are mutants that are generally fertile and can be maintained as normal Japanese Morning Glories.

Seedling size comparison

An interesting thing is hapening in the Japanese Morning Glory grow out now underway.  The cotyledons of one princess plant seedlot are very small when compared to the other princess seedlings growing.  These are F3 plants and I don’t recall the F2 plant starting this small.  My guess at this point is that this is the first generation of seeds showing many of the true characteristics and potential of this particular line.  If you think about it, the F2 seed is produced on a normal sized plant and the seed is generally speaking normal sized.  This particular normal sized seed produced a very small princess plant, even though the cotyledons were pretty much normal sized.  The seed that resulted in the plant growing now was produced on the small statured plant and was smaller in size as well.  I have four plants growing from this seedlot and they all are consistent in this size.  They are also much smaller than the other princess plants growing.

This picture shows the size comparison of cotyledons from a normal sized plant of Q0663, a regular princess plant from the 385-40-01 line and the very small cotyledon of the 385-40-19 line.  All plants are the same age.

Cotyledon size comparison

Site update

Over the last few days I have been slowly adding to the site. I’ve added a Garden Projects tab which is the portal to detail of my various garden projects. I’m starting to get the structure in place and a few details as well. I’m traveling on business now so do not have access to all my pictures to update the various projects. Hopefully this will take place this week end.

This is a picture of all the flowers of the 2007 grow out of my first Japanese Morning Glory princess hybrid seed.  I have also prepared a PowerPoint presentation summarizing this grow out.

2007 Grow out of seedlot 385

..who said cotyledons couldn’t be beautiful!

50507-166-23 variegated cotyledon

I was documenting some of the grow out plants of my Japanese Morning Glory princess project this morning and came across this rather unique looking seedling. The high level of variegation was framed very nicely by the pink edge of each cotyledon. If the grown plant and flower can catch my attention like the cotyledons did, it could be a winner!

Japanese Morning Glory “Princess Project”

Of all the variety available in Japanese Morning Glories, I am especially attracted to the variegated leaf types and particularly the extreme contrast shown on the strains typically called Beni Chidori, Cameo Elegance or Minibar Rose.

Beni Chidori 2007

These strains have smaller stature throughout – smaller flowers, growth habit, and leaves. The leaves are three-lobed and have a distinct shape that some of the online translators call plover. This I believe refers to the shape of a flying bird called the plover. If the stem were the head, then the side lobes would be the swept back wings and the center lobe the tail. I am intrigued at the way individuals of the Japanese culture name various attributes of plants after other things they observe in nature. That in itself is a whole other topic!

In 2006 I purchased a small growing variety labeled Q0777 on eBay. I soon learned that these “Q” numbers were reference numbers for strains of Morning Glories maintained by Kyushu University in Japan. My Q0777 plants were indistinguishable to me from the Beni Chidori,Cameo Elegance and Minibar Rose strains I grew as well. All the flowers are magenta/pink with white throat and a small, variable white margin. The white margin varies from just a small dot of white at five uniform places on the perimeter to a more pronounced, but still usually incomplete white margin. This leads me to believe that these named varieties are commercialized versions of the Q0777 strain. (Edited note: Subsequent research shows that Q0777 is actually a selection from Sakata seed…..”[sakata] seed and seedling ” crimson [chi] [do] [ri]”, princess characteristic”.

As I researched these small statured plants, I learned that geneticists speculated that these characteristics are caused by a then un-named gene often referred to as hime in many of my internet translations. Hime, I learned later is translated as princess. The Kyushu Japanese Morning Glory website now identifies the gene involved as the recessive tiny (tn).  Most informal references to these plants by the geneticists use the term “princess characteristic” and call the pronounced variegation “crystal variegation”. I will use these terms in my discussions.

From this pack of Q0777 seed, one plant (322-125-01) grew much larger than the others, as a normal Japanese Morning Glory. It had normal wild type leaves that were variegated and pink/red Blizzard flowers.   Here are my Journal Entries on Daves Garden for this plant.

322-125-01 F1 Q0777 x unknown

  I made the assumption that it was a hybrid between the Q0777 and some other red Blizzard flowered Japanese Morning Glory and segregated the seed it produced for further testing. This was the beginning of my princess project.

The plants resulting from this naturally occurring F1 hybrid opened my eyes to the possibilities of this princess factor. The other parent of the cross was obviously also a large flowered Japanese Morning Glory as the segregation of the F2 plants grown showed combinations with the various large flowered genes, primarily retracted (re) and dragonfly (dg). My desire in this project is to produce princess plants with the variety of leaf shapes, flower forms, colors and patterns found in the Japanese Morning Glory.

The Japanese Morning Glory

I discovered Japanese Morning Glories in 2005 while researching information on Japanese Iris.   I was looking for a flowering plant that would thrive in the local heat and humidity and could offer an opportunity for my interests in genetics and plant breeding.  I now live in the deep South after growing up in the Pacific Northwest.  While in the PNW I had developed a few breeding lines of Asiatic Lilies and Japanese Iris.  I knew the Asiatic Lilies were not adaptable here, but was thinking the Japanese Iris might be suitable.  When I discovered the various strains of Ipomea nil that the Japanese had developed I was intrigued.  The fact that they are an annual plant and that relatively quick generations are possible made me realize that I had a winner. 

I’ve always been interested in the Oriental cultures and the history of the Japanese Morning Glory was fascinating.  As it has also been used as a research plant, there was technical information available to keep my focus.  Their photogenic characteristics also fit right into my interest profile.

I soon learned of the various mutations and how the Japanese had developed many different complex systems that produce uniquely elegant and beautiful flowers.  Not only did they focus on the flowers, but the presentation and development of the leaves was also important.  I was hooked.

Blue feathered Japanese Morning Glory