Breeding is about having people be moved by the beauty of a variety that you patiently created to bring out its individuality
Hello, everyone.
I am Iwasawa, and I transcribe the experiences of plant breeders.
Several people who have read my transcriptions have told me, "Nothing like this has ever been written about breeders before." I wondered if that was true and looked for it, but I certainly couldn't find anything.
I have been thinking about why there are no written records of the breeding that produces new, one-of-a-kind, superior varieties that have never existed before.
For one thing, saying "this is how I created a new variety" carries the risk that others will imitate it and create similar varieties, so it is a confidential matter.
Secondly, taking cross-breeding as an example, when selecting a target—something with unprecedented characteristics—from the many offspring individuals produced by crossing parent varieties, the breeder performs various investigations, but the new variety is ultimately chosen based on the breeder's own sensibility as they look at the blooming flowers or ripened fruit and think, "This looks good. This is interesting."
Since it is chosen and turned into a variety based on sensibility, it cannot be written down like a cooking recipe saying, "If you do this, you can make it."
Even if a breeder is confident that they can create a good variety, they do not know if they will succeed until the flowers bloom or the fruit ripens, so the breeder's way is to continue breeding without saying a word.
Since the labor and expenses of long-term breeding cannot be recovered unless the resulting variety sells, it has been said that "breeding takes time, chasing dreams doesn't guarantee results, and it's not profitable." Because of this situation, there are no successors, and the aging of breeders is progressing.
And when a breeder passes away, the know-how gained from their experience disappears, and if there is no successor to produce it, even the new variety that was born can end up disappearing.
Even so, the fact that we can have a rich diet and a lush, vibrant life is thanks to the efforts of breeders. However, the figures of breeders are almost unknown.
I listen to breeding experiences and write them down because I want to praise the figures of the breeders who continue to breed steadily and persistently, and I want to convey their efforts to many people. As I am also a committee member of the National New Variety Breeders Association, which individual breeders join, I decided to post the breeding experiences I have written.
I intend to continue posting as long as there are breeders who will tell me about their experiences, so thank you for your support.
This time, the experience report is from Shuichi Kusano of Aya Engei in Miyazaki Prefecture, who breeds ranunculus. I was moved by his story of working hard to create varieties that make everyone feel "beautiful" and moved, with the goal of making ranunculus as popular as tulips, so I wrote this article.
I apologize for the long introduction.
Now, here is the breeding experience report told by Shuichi Kusano.
❒ Starting a farm
I am Shuichi Kusano of Aya Engei, where I breed and produce ranunculus in Aya Town, which is located west of Miyazaki City, possesses one of the largest laurel forests in the country, and was registered as a UNESCO Eco-Park in 2012. After graduating from the Faculty of Horticulture at Chiba University in 1978, at the age of 22, I opened "Aikawa Engei" in Kanagawa Prefecture with my brother-in-law and started farming.
The joint management was going well, but in 1990, I established "Aya Engei" in Miyazaki Prefecture for the ranunculus breeding that my father was working on, and I began independent management.
❒ My father, who encountered ranunculus at a flower shop and started breeding
My father encountered the charm of ranunculus at a flower shop in Shibuya around 1930. My father, who was a live-in student at the time, was told to buy flowers for guests, and when he saw the ranunculus at that flower shop, he thought they were more beautiful than roses. Later, he read an article in a magazine about large-scale ranunculus cultivation by Japanese immigrants in California, and dreaming of it, my father entered the world of flowers in 1933.
After the war, he began working for Sakata Seed, and I heard that in the early 1950s, he saw the large-flowered ranunculus seeds and seedlings that the founder, Mr. Takeo Sakata, had brought from America, begged to be allowed to breed them, and started breeding ranunculus from then on.
It took many years to release the cut flower F1 ranunculus "Victoria Strain" to the world, and after that, he created the potted ranunculus "F1 Wonderland," both of which were big hits in Europe and America.
❒ Starting breeding with the desire to make them as popular as tulips
However, back in 1990, although cut flower ranunculus were popular in the West, they were poorly regarded and not widely used in Japan. Understanding the reason for this and wanting to break through that barrier—with the desire to 'make ranunculus as popular as tulips'—I began the production and breeding of cut flowers in 1990.
During my university days, I was taught general horticulture by Professors Eiichi Asayama and Masato Yokoi, cultivation by Mr. Jukichiro Watanabe at the farm, and breeding by Mr. Muneo Iizuka, who served as both breeder and farm manager. I also had my father and highly skilled employees nearby, from whom I learned cultivation, breeding, and seed collection. I also received various breeding advice from my seniors at Sakata Seed Corporation.
❒ The 'Victoria Strain' that was popular in the West but did not see sales growth
When I first started breeding, I focused on creating varieties that would be profitable for farmers to grow. The varieties at that time (Victoria Strain) had large flowers and clear, primary colors, making them very beautiful. However, they were late-maturing and had thick, curved stems.
The reason they were popular in the West was that, due to the climate, the cultivation season was long. Even if the first flowers were cut a month later than early-maturing varieties, the total yield over the cultivation period was high, and the stems, which were thick and curved at first, became relatively straight halfway through. However, in Japan, where the cultivation season is short, having the first flowers bloom a month late was a fatal flaw, and sales did not increase as much as expected.
Also, the peak of the bubble economy was the peak of baby's breath, and light, airy styles were preferred; the heavy feel of ranunculus was the exact opposite of the trend.
❒ Cultivating various beautiful flowers and starting a collection
Therefore, I set goals for early maturity, high yield, medium flower size, slender and supple stems, clear primary flower colors, and F1 hybrids. As I proceeded with breeding toward those goals, various beautiful flowers that were not primary colors appeared. These were mainly pastel tones, flowers with green elements, and flowers with unusual petals that could even be considered malformed.
Seeing this, my wife and the female employees said, 'These are beautiful! They will definitely sell!' Since I didn't know much about flower shops, I wondered, 'Is that so?!' While thinking about how to utilize those flowers and what would happen if I advanced them further, I saved them as material and, in parallel with my goal of F1 breeding, I also had a vague goal in a different direction.
Around that time, Mr. Suda, a former managing director at Sakata Seed and a benefactor of my breeding, told me, 'Breeding things that are profitable is great! But the most important thing in flower breeding is to be able to give the people who see them the thrill of saying, Wow, how beautiful! How wonderful!'!' and I was struck by that. And so, the ranunculus collection began.
❒ Continuing to breed even when anxious, not knowing until you try
If I say that breeding is 'simple yet difficult,' people might ask, 'Which is it!' but what I felt for myself is that 'you don't know until you try!' is the truth.
At university, I learned that F1 breeding is 'creating two lines close to pure lines and crossing them to produce children with uniform properties superior to both parents.' In the case of 'pure lines' and cross-pollinated plants, repeating inbreeding leads to 'inbreeding depression.'
At this time, I felt quite anxious about whether I should continue inbreeding like this. As a result, when I created an F1 in the 5th or 6th generation, I was able to get children better than I had imagined, and I thought, 'The theory I learned at university was correct,' but along the way, I didn't know if I was getting closer to my goal, and I proceeded with the feeling that I had no choice but to continue, even though I was anxious. This was all the more true because the business was by no means easy. I was only able to do it because of the tolerance of those around me. It is said that 'persistence pays off,' and I understood that meaning well.
❒ Resolving the worry of how to sell by utilizing mericlone technology
As I collected many byproducts other than my goals while breeding F1 varieties, and was worrying about 'how should I sell them?', I was fortunate enough to gain an environment where I could utilize mericlone technology. Mericlone technology had already been put to practical use, but using it as a business was a different story. A business cannot survive unless it makes a profit greater than the expenses incurred, but that path opened up all at once.
Once I was able to utilize mericlone technology, my breeding goal had been 'how to make them as uniform as possible!', but I was able to have a goal in a different direction: 'how to obtain an outstanding individual,' even if it was just one.
❒ Shifting from discarding useless things to breeding that brings out individuality
Up until now, F1 breeding had focused on 'how to strip away useless or unnecessary things!' and 'how to create uniform things!', and anything that deviated was discarded as soon as it was found. If green or brown elements were seen, they were discarded as if they were an enemy.
However, once mericlone propagation became available, the approach changed completely, and it became important to consider 'how to bring out the hidden characteristics that plants possess.' To do this, it is essential to observe and analyze the characteristics of individuals grown from seeds without overlooking any unique traits.And then, you proceed with anticipation of what their progeny will become.
❒ A collection enables speedy supply in response to demand
As you grow seedlings, unusual things appear, but the next step is that 'breeding is about discarding!' However, I believe that 'breeding is about discarding, and at the same time, breeding is about not discarding.' How can I increase the number of options I have on hand? This is because it leads to how quickly I can supply them when demanded by the market.
Even so, it is necessary to strike a balance so that it does not become a burden on management. When actually selling seeds and seedlings, balancing the sale of standard varieties and trendy varieties becomes a difficult problem.
❒ It has become an era of individualization, and I can send out many of the varieties I have held
The 20th century was an era in all industries of 'mass-producing standardized products and introducing them to the market.' Whether it was automobiles, home appliances, or flowers, the priority was to supply products stably and in large quantities. However, I believe that the 'era of individualization' began around the time the bubble burst in the Heisei era. A wide variety of products began to emerge in every category.
In the world of flowers, too, decorations and bouquets for weddings and parties, originating from Paris and then Tokyo, spread throughout Japan. At that time, it should be called a coincidence, but Aya Engei had many varieties in the fields, and we were able to release them to the world in a way that just happened to be accepted by the era. We were lucky.
❒ Breeding many varieties such as Ranunculus and Luxe, and gaining stable evaluation from producers
Through breeding to date, we have been able to register 21 varieties of Ranunculus, including 'M-White,' and 8 varieties of the interspecific hybrid Ranunculus Luxe, including 'Ariadne,' as well as their trademarks. The Ranunculus varieties are characterized by being early-maturing, high-yielding, having firm and straight stems, and a rich variety of traits, while the Luxe varieties are characterized by spray-type flowers with a strong luster on the petals, and being resistant to high temperatures and Botrytis disease.
Luxe is an interspecific hybrid bred by crossing one of the hundreds of wild species of the genus Ranunculus found in the world with conventional garden Ranunculus. The wild parent species has the characteristic of petals that shine brilliantly, and I bred it with the thought of how moving it would be if I could create a shiny Ranunculus! So when I saw the brilliance of the finished flower, I felt an indescribable emotion.
Since the petals shine, I named it 'Luxe' from 'Ranunculus + Wax.' Each variety name is given a name that appears in Greek mythology. The color of Luxe flowers is deep when they start to bloom, and as they continue to bloom, patterns like silver or gold appear, giving them a shining luster that makes them look like they are sparkling when light hits them.
Furthermore, Luxe is a spray type and also acquired the wonderful property of having its buds bloom, so we were blessed with rare good fortune, as if we had solved our goals all at once. In recent years, our company has been focusing on the sale of this Luxe.
When we first announced Luxe to the market, experts in the horticultural world immediately gave it a high evaluation, but it took time for general flower shops to want it. Feeling frustrated, I advertised it here and there and sent out samples.
When I planted the leftover bulbs in flower beds, it was confirmed that they would perennialize in suitable locations. Also, there were many stories of buds coming up in the second year after being planted here and there, and everyone started to be overjoyed. Thanks to the excited people who posted about it on social media, its popularity spread much faster than I had expected afterward. This year, we are facing the problem that our seed and seedling supply capacity cannot keep up.
Although I bred Luxe myself, the current situation is that there are many things we don't know because it is a new plant. In particular, cultivation methods differ depending on the region, and we have no choice but to solve the problems in each case. I would like to move forward while also receiving wisdom from producers and hobbyists. I hope to continue to release new colors that will please everyone as much as possible.
Initially, our shipments were mainly to the market, but now almost all of them are sales of seeds and seedlings to producers. At present, the evaluation from producers is stable, and orders for seeds and seedlings are increasing.
❒ The real thrill of breeding is continuing patiently and having people be moved by the beauty
I think breeding is 'like educating a child, bringing out the inherent abilities of the plant and developing its individuality.' If the goal is clear and you continue patiently, something will emerge.
My father used to say that anyone can do breeding, but I think that while the work itself can be done, continuing it is surprisingly difficult. I believe the greatest thrill of breeding is having people say 'This is amazing!' or 'This is beautiful!' as a result of accumulating what might be considered simple work.I intend to continue aiming for new varieties that no one has ever seen before, while also creating solid, standard products.
Thank you for reading until the end.
I have one request.
I mentioned that breeders are aging, but the rose "Akita Obako," bred by 87-year-old Taizo Watanabe who lives in Yokote City, Akita Prefecture, is currently being filed for variety registration and is undergoing national examination.
Mr. Watanabe says, "Since I have become elderly, I would like someone to produce Akita Obako." If there is anyone interested, please let me know.
Hiromichi Iwasawa
iwa,hinsyudebyu.512@gmail.com
Glossary (▾ mark)
▾UNESCO Eco Park: One of the certification systems of UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization), officially called "Biosphere Reserve." It is a region registered as a model area where coexistence between nature and human society is achieved. In Japan, five locations are registered: Aya, Yakushima, Hakusan, Odaigahara & Omine-san, and Shiga Kogen.
▾Takeo Sakata(1888-1984): Born in Tokyo as the eldest son of a Ministry of Education official, he graduated from the practical course of the Faculty of Agriculture at Tokyo Imperial University. As an overseas business trainee for the Ministry of Agriculture and Commerce, he gained experience at nursery companies in the United States and Europe. In 1913, he founded Sakata Shokai in Yokohama and began producing and exporting plant seeds. In 1942, he renamed it Sakata Seed Corporation and became president, making him the founder of Sakata Seed.
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F1 variety
: A variety created by crossing (hybridizing) parent plants that possess excellent characteristics. It is the first generation of children born from the cross, and is called "F1" from "first filial." However, the second generation grown from seeds collected from them usually cannot maintain the good traits of the F1 and suffers from quality degradation, so to continue cultivating F1 varieties, it is necessary to purchase seeds every time.
▾Cross-pollinating plant: A plant that can only produce seeds when pollen from the stamen of another individual pollinates its pistil. In contrast, a plant where pollen from the stamen of the same individual pollinates its pistil to produce seeds, and whose traits can be inherited without degradation, is called a self-pollinating plant.
▾Mericlone: Refers to shoot tip culture. It is a word combining "meristem" (mainly the meristem of the shoot tip) and "clone." Since the cells at the tip of a plant's stem divide vigorously and are generally free from viral diseases, culturing these cells allows for the creation of virus-free plant bodies.
▾Interspecific hybrid: The first generation hybrid resulting from a cross between different species contained within the same genus.
▾Perennial: Short for perennial plant. A plant where the above-ground part withers in winter, the underground part overwinters in a dormant state, and it grows and blooms again in the spring.
#UNESCO Eco Park #Ranunculus #Takeo Sakata
#Victoria Strain #F1 Breeding #Persistence is power
#Mericlone technology #Era of individualization #Lux #Interspecific hybrid #Shiny Ranunculus #Spray-type bloom