It was a tough contest in the UC Davis SCOPE program, as the judges wrestled with competing qualities of color shade, petal shape, pistil complexity, stem length and disease resistance. But finally, the zinnia variety dubbed Shirley came out on top.
Orange Creamsicle and Rockin' Roma tomatoes and wheat in shades of charcoal and blue are more of the winning crops that are being developed by UC Davis' student-led breeding program and are expected to be available soon for organic farmers. Leaders in Student Collaborative Organic Plant Breeding Education, or SCOPE, presented the winners and some gorgeous runners-up at a recent field day on campus. Students also presented updates from research on celtuce, sweet potatoes and more crops being developed and tested for organic farms.
The SCOPE program is funded by a grant from the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, which was established by Congress and overseen by the United States Department of Agriculture.
© Trina Kleist/UC DavisSCOPE gives students hands-on experience in breeding plants and testing them in the field ahead of commercial release. From left are a few of our student breeders: Grayson Tess, Larissa Fitzhugh, Emily Chung and Sriram Srinivas
Winning zinnias coming soon
Shirley and other zinnia finalists offer both vivid and pastel shades, bi-color flowers, variety of petal shape and size, longer life in a vase and better resistance to disease such as powdery mildew. Traits have been chosen based on feedback from farmers.
"Shirley is taller than most and has bigger flowers, some of the biggest," said student lead Will Hazzard, a doctoral student. In the breeding process, "we were really struck by the orange, and it ended up being one of the best ones."
© Trina Kleist/UC Davis
Zinnias offer many benefits: Small-scale farmers can use them to diversify their products with a high-income crop. They're becoming a hit in the floral industry, with creamy-petalled varieties popular for wedding bouquets. At farmers' markets, shoppers love the brighter-colored, bigger-flowered varieties, said Laura Roser, SCOPE coordinator.
Trials continue, and program leaders are working to scale up seed production. When Shirley and most other varieties are approved for release, the program can move forward with making them available for commercial use, said SCOPE director Charlie Brummer, a professor in the department. That could come in the next year or two, Roser added.
Source: UC Davis
