VARIETY CENTER Nobbio® patterns - seedlings.


ty easy in that moment, because of the lack of new types and low requirements to be competitive with the existing ones. The young Nobbio instead got from his uncle the impulse to experiment with new possibilities of plant breeding and not simply make crosses to pull out yet another variety. Amazed by the beautiful colors and patterns of Dian- thus chinensis and Dianthus heddewigii and optimis- tic and self-confident, Nobbio started in 1949 a very hard process: “re-inventing carnation”, using wild spe- cies, garden plants, and existing cut flower varieties, with the aim to put new colors and patterns in com- mercial carnations.


The difficulty and overcoming problems.


A cross between different species is not always pos- sible. When achieved, it very often brings sterile hy- brids during first or further generations. The first years of the project have been, consequently, passed to understand what was possible to cross and with what specie or lines. Once Nobbio obtained several hybrids, he had to re-introduce and stabilize the main commercial features. He worked hard to push the bi- ennial to yearly flowering and introduce the winter- blooming not present in most of the wild species, but


colors, colors, and colors was the main worry. For years most of the obtained flowers were fully violet, purple, and lilac. During the work, Nobbio came several times to an impasse, with no possibility to continue the cross of one hybrid line with another because of sterility bar- riers. He solved the problem by introducing a new specie fertile with both. Among the years Nobbio adjusted plant growth, productivity, stem thickness, number of petals, flow- er size, flower pattern until he obtained a new type, which he named “chinese” because of the Dianthus chinensis widely involved in the breeding. In 1976 he introduced the first variety “Mei Ling” with small flower, deep violet with white edge, high pro- ductivity, and stems about 60 cm long. In same type later came “Mei Fu”, “Mei Cheng” and other varieties. Unfortunately, the new type, commercialized mainly in Italy, didn’t encounter the expected interest. Strongly convinced of the value of the line he de- cided to continue the breeding, targeting a carna- tion similar to a standard type but with a wider color range and better productivity. The first variety, still a bit small but almost completely changed from the “Chineses”, came out in his seedlings in 2002 after 53 years from the beginning. A normal process of variety testing and introduction takes about 4 years, and he was just getting the first positive appreciations for his work when suddenly in January 2005, Nobbio passed away at the age of 81 years.


What’s next.


All his work was not lost. His handwritten notes, methods, carnation lines, jokes, stories, and good mood continue to live in our breeding programs, and according to his teaching, we continue to try getting out new colors for consumers and innova- tive varieties for growers. To remember him and sure that he still can appreciate the beauty of his flowers, we entitled the new carnation line with his name.


Dr. Flavio Sapia is Breeder at Hybrida S.r.l. You can reach him at sapia@hybrida.it


Mei Ling Obtained in 1976


Nobbio® Burgundy Obtained in 2002


Nobbio® new generation Obtained in 2012


www.SelectaCutFlowers.com FloralNews 15


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20