A rose of any color may soon be green
COLLEGE STATION - The rose breeding efforts of two men who met decades ago -- one a horticulturist and the other a hobby gardener -- may join to create more environmentally friendly varieties, according to a Texas AgriLife Research rose scientist.
A large collection of roses from long-time California nursery owner and breeder Ralph Moore may find crosses with rose stock bequeathed to the program from the late Robert E. Basye, whose rose breeding hobby yielded numerous roses now on the market. Basye's collection was given and the chair in rose breeding endowed at Texas A&M University in 2002. Moore donated to Texas A&M's horticulture department more than a year ago.
"About 60 percent of the Moore roses are now growing in our experimental field to see how adaptable they are for humid Texas weather," said Dr. David Byrne, AgriLife Research rose breeder.
"The goal of an environmentally friendly rose is a goal that Ralph Moore has always stressed," Byrne added. "The diverse collection now with AgriLife Research greatly increases the likelihood for such varieties to be developed."
Byrne, who is holder of the Robert E. Basye Endowed Chair in Rose Breeding at Texas A&M, said the Moore collection is a "wonderful match" because the current rose breeding effort stems from Basye's work using wild roses to develop disease-resistant breeding material. Crossing these with Moore roses may provide increased sustainability of garden roses.
Roses have a long-standing reputation for being persnickety in the garden, requiring various special treatments to do well. Byrne said that has changed with the introduction of many varieties that do not require as much fertilizer or pesticides to yield loads of healthy flowers. His breeding program aims at creating varieties that are more suitable for eco-friendly production in home landscapes.
Moore is credited with developing more than 300 varieties of miniature roses from the time he opened his nursery in 1937, according to the American Rose Society. Although he is best known for miniature roses, only about half of his collection were in that category, according to Byrne.
"He did groundbreaking work in developing shrub roses as well as his work to develop striped roses, halo roses, Hulthemia roses, rugosa hybrids, moss roses and crested roses," Byrne said. "He is well-known for his creativity and willingness to share."
Moore, 102, closed his 71-year-old Sequoia Nursery in Visalia, Calif. April 2008. All of his stock - several hundred varieties and 300 rose selections never commercially released - were moved to Greenheart Nursery in Arroyo Grande, Calif. for maintenance and evaluation, said Byrne, who still is collaborating with Moore. -30-
