Breeder News

What started as a hobby turned into a breeding program. Now, Texas A&M AgriLife plant physiologist and breeder Dariusz Malinowski is being recognized for his work in winter-hardy hibiscus. in the north-central part of Texas, almost as close to Oklahoma as you can get, there’s a little town called Vernon. About three hours away from Oklahoma City and Dallas, Vernon, Texas isn’t known for being large — in the last census, the population of Vernon listed 11,000 people — but, it is known for being vibrant for a slew of reasons. Most recently? Hundreds of winter hardy hibiscuses line Vernon’s streets as well as businesses. Now, you might expect these winter-hardy hibiscuses to be in the usual colors: white, red and pink. However, Vernon has some special varieties of hibiscuses lining the streets — colors ranging from blue to silver and from maroon to lavender. The Drag, Vernon’s mainstreet, is usually known for hosting festivals, including the Summer’s Last Blast, which is a large antique car show for that lasts four to five days, Mayor Doug Jeffrey says. However, they’re working on a new idea. Mayor Doug Jeffrey “We’re excited to see new varieties come out of the Texas A&M Agrilife Center,” Jeffrey says. “When you think of tulips, you think of Holland. Well, I want Vernon to be the place people think of when they think of hibiscuses.” These colorful hibiscuses didn’t come out of nowhere — they were bred with meticulous care, not by a breeder, but by a plant physiologist. Hobby Turned Breeding Program “I had the opportunity to come to Texas A&M Agrilife on a postdoctoral position in forage agronomy and physiology,” says Dariusz Malinowski, a plant physiologist and breeder at Texas A&M Agrilife. “By profession, I’m not a plant breeder, but I could use my knowledge in plant physiology in my cool-season forage grass breeding program. Hibiscus breeding was actually something that I started in my backyard.” Malinowski says his initial desire to breed hibiscus came from the idea that he wanted some colorful flowers in his backyard. He thought there was potential in […]

Source: seedworld.com