Asphodelus acaulis seed set with Gibberellic acid

[illahe]

Hi All, 

I thought I would post this follow up to a winters post where I discussed attempts to get an apparently self infertile Asphodelus acaulis clone to set seed. Here is what I did:

1. Mixed 200 ppm solution Gibberellic acid (90%) dissolving the powder in a 1/4 oz of Everclear grain spirits. adding that to a water bottle with tap water (on a well, so no chlorine). I got the GA from an online source called Power Grown and followed the formula for 200ppm on the sheet they provide. 

2. I squirted all the flowers down with the solution and then used a soft bristled artist paint brush No. 2 size to dab pollen and GA solution. I think I talked about the fact that the anthers never seem to dehisce on my clone, so I really seemed to be just swabbing around GA solution at this point. 

3. I came back a few days later and noticed that the tepals of a lot of the flowers were twisting up really tight, so I unfurled a few of them and found seemingly very ripe pollen now available, so I squirted the flowers down again with GA and dabbed the now very obvious pollen grains on all the available stigmas. 

A few weeks later I saw actual seed pods developing at the end of the pedicels that curl down toward the soil like they want to plant them. Today I saw the pedicels starting to wither so I picked off a few of the pods (I got about 6 total seed pods from probably 28 flowers that I treated with between 1 and 6 seeds per pod). 

Attached are a picture of the flowers, a picture of the developing seed pods and if you look closely you can see a lot of the vacant pedicels that it normally produced and finally the pics of a few of the seeds, after removal from the fruit and I excised one and to be sure they have solid endosperm and look viable (although this remains to be seen).  

I thought some folks dealing with clones that won't set seed might find this interesting, research wasn't scientific enough to say if the gibberelic acid played a part in allowing fertilization or just caused the pollen to actually ripen perhaps, but I can say that I got seeds on a plant I have had for some years now that has never set seed so I'm calling it a success!

If anyone has germination tips on Asphodelus acaulis seed I would love to hear them!

Mark
Illahe Rare Plants
 

[Jan Jeddeloh]

That is impressive problem solving Mark.  Maybe with your work we can finally get a second clone in the US.  I sure hope some of the seed germinates.  Where did you get the idea of using Gibberellic for this purpose?  

Lily growers sometimes get seed from a single clone using the cut style method?  Have you ever tried that?

Did you tell the clerk at the liquor store that you were buying Everclear, the drink of hardcore alcoholics, for plant pollination?  If you did I'm sure that was a first for them.

Jan

[Uli]

Hello Mark,

Thank you very much for sharing your experience. It compliments the other approach of microwaving pollen to overcome self incompatibility, however you need pollen to do that. 
So if your approach delivers pollen in a plant which normally doesn't (why not?, is there a problem with this plant?) and resulting seed, a big step forward is made. Personally I have never used gibberelic acid nor have I grown Asphodelus acaulis but I would sow the seed in the same way you would with untreated seed.

Uli 

[illahe]

Hi Jan and Uli, 

Thanks! I was pretty excited by the success! I have tried the cut stump (style) method with some Fritillaria before when I was making a bunch of crosses as I have read it helps with incompatibility as well. I actually got the GA to use for seed germinating and in the research I ran across some papers on how it can help overcome self infertility. Of course everclear only comes in a big bottle, so I have several lifetimes worth with the dilution factor. I have read that some people pressure cook the GA to help it dissolve in water but for some reason to me that seemed like it might denature it. I'm curious about sowing it right away or waiting until I normally sow in the fall?

Mark

[Uli]

Hello Mark,

I have no growing experience with this particular species. But if it is a typical winter growing plant I would not sow the seed now. I very much understand your excitement about your success and related impatience to see if the seed is viable. 
But you might kill the seedlings this way. It most likely will be viable. Some of the winter growing seed may remain dormant until the right conditions are given but some might germinate straight away. And in this case it is doubtful if the seedlings will survive.
I would enjoy the impatience for as long as possible into the autumn.....
Smiles
Uli 

[Jan Jeddeloh]

Maybe try sowing a couple of seeds now and save the rest and sow later?  Hedge your bets. 

Also Mark, the seed I promised you will go out tomorrow.