Selection of appropriate pollination states using phenological and morphological characteristics in five varieties of Phalaenopsis orchid

Five varieties of Phalaenopsis (Nottingham, Dubrovnik, Andorra, Memphis, Bucharest) were self-pollinated and crossed with each either as the male or the female parents. The five self-pollination and 20 cross-pollination states were evaluated for six phenological and morphological characteristics. Pollination was performed using an orchid pollination syringe in a greenhouse with a temperature of 20-27 ◦C, the humidity of 80% and light of 2500 lx during the 2018-2019 growing season. Nottingham under self-pollination conditions was better than other varieties and was superior to all crosses for all traits under investigation. The differences among males, females and their crosses were significant for all traits, except the time to the first pollination signs in which the effect of the female factor was not significant. In general, Nottingham was the superior variety in almost all traits and Dubrovnik was the worst variety in most traits either as male or female parents. Cross-pollination also had different outcomes in different traits. For example, for the time until swelling of the capsule, crosses Memphis × Nottingham and Nottingham × Memphis caused the capsule to fill later than the Nottingham parent. The cross Dubrovnik × Nottingham caused the capsule to fill earlier than the Dubrovnik parent. In the Dubrovnik × Nottingham cross, the weight of seeds per capsule, as an important trait, was higher than the Dubrovnik parent under self-fertilization conditions. Also, the cross-pollination was not suitable for increasing the weight of seeds per capsule in the Nottingham × Andorra cross. As an example for the capsule length, the Nottingham × Bucharest cross had smaller capsules than the self-pollination conditions of Nottingham and Bucharest. Therefore, depending on the importance of the traits under consideration in commercial production, cross-pollination can be used as a method, in addition to producing flowers with colors and shapes different from the parents, for improving the desired traits relative to one parent or both parents in self-pollination conditions.