Progress in breeding of Iris ensata Thunb. in the south of Western Siberia
The aim of investigations is improvement of iris assortment by adapted (winterand dry-resistant) varieties of I.ensata Thunb.to conditions of a forest-steppe of the south of Western Siberia and widening of spectrum of morphological characters and blossoming terms of Iris genus. The development method of the varieties of English iris is a spontaneous and directed hybridization of geographically remote varieties, selection of donors, search of crossing pairs with heterosis effect, individual selection. In the first generation of spontaneous hybrids of French and Japanese varieties of I.ensata, the first varieties with simple and double form of the flower with a diameter up to 15 cm were selected, blossoming in July, after Bearded and Siberian irises. They endured extreme conditions of 1997/98 years at the period, when in October snow was absent and the temperature was -100C, soil was frozen on 10 cm, and in November at 4-11 cm of snow covering up to -23...-470C. In the second generation the most productive ornamental varieties were developed from crossing with the Far-East variety Amur bay. Hybrids from closely-relative crossings had the number of flower-stalks in a bush less in two times, than hybrids from remote crossings. In the third stage of crossings the following combinations refer to donors of two characters of rare flower colouring and wide closing lobes of perianth: Nekrasy х Yapetus; Sirenevaya dymka х Altaiskaya snegurochka; Klavdiya Popova х[Altaiskaya snegurochka. Besides, 8 donors of productivity, dry resistance, new colour and form of a flower are selected. The diameter of the flower is increased from 12 up to 20 cm, the width of the upper lobes of perianth from 2 cm up to 8 cm, lower from 7 up to 9 cm. In three generations 15 adapted varieties with different form of a flower have been developed from closely-relative and geographically remote crossings of I.ensata varieties, donors of valuable characters are found out. Spectrum of flower colouring is widened up to 11 groups, blossoming period is a month.