For 20 Years Of Dedicated Breeding, He Launched The First New Groundcover Crape Myrtle Variety In China And Led The Team To Obtain 14 National New Variety Rights

In the sweltering summer heat, crape myrtles are in full bloom. As the city flower of more than 20 cities in China, crape myrtle has a flowering period of up to a hundred days and is widely cultivated and applied in areas on both sides of the Yellow River and to the south. It is undoubtedly the "star" of summer.
At present, there are at least 53 species of Lagerstroemia in the world, and 19 species are native to China. However, in landscape greening, the most widely used is the native species of Lagerstroemia indica, and the application forms are mainly shrubs and low trees. Lagerstroemia speciosa, which is widely used in South China, is a variety introduced from Southeast Asia.
For more than 20 years, Pan Huitang, a professor at Beijing Forestry University, has been engaged in the breeding of new crape myrtle varieties and the analysis of important traits. Under his leadership, the team has bred the first low and compact crape myrtle variety "Pink Elf" and the weeping (groundcover) crape myrtle variety "Linglong" in China. So far, the team has obtained 14 new variety rights for crape myrtle.

The unexpected "birth" of new varieties

In 1994, Pan Huitang entered Beijing Forestry University to pursue a master's and doctoral degree. After graduating with a doctoral degree, he stayed on to teach. In 2005, the National Flower Engineering Technology Research Center was established at the School of Landscape Architecture of Beijing Forestry University. Pan Huitang served as the director of the research and development department and was mainly responsible for the collection and research of germplasm resources of flower shrubs such as crape myrtle, rose and Forsythia suspensa.
Speaking of it, new crape myrtle varieties can be considered a "by-product" of scientific research. In the trait research process of woody flowers, sometimes it takes several years to observe the trait characteristics of offspring, and the cycle is very long. However, the seedlings of crape myrtle can bloom in the year of sowing or the second year, which greatly shortens the waiting time for observation and is a very good research material.

At the end of 2010, Pan Huitang's team introduced 60 crape myrtle varieties from abroad. Among these varieties, in addition to the common shrub type, there are also low and compact types, weeping (groundcover) types, etc., and the flower colors are more abundant, and there are also many colorful leaf varieties.
The team first carried out research on the plant type of crape myrtle. In the hybridization experiments of different plant type varieties, the plant types of the hybridization population showed obvious trait separation. Based on this, the team conducted a systematic study on the genetic law and molecular mechanism of crape myrtle plant type traits.
Many new crape myrtle varieties emerged during the hybridization process. After continuous observation and testing, the team selected and bred the first low and compact crape myrtle variety "Pink Elf" and the weeping (groundcover) crape myrtle variety "Linglong" in China.

"These dwarf varieties have enriched the plant types of domestic crape myrtle, expanded the application range of crape myrtle, and provided good materials for potted crape myrtle, especially the application of crape myrtle in home gardening." Pan Huitang told the "China Flower News".

Breaking traditional breeding methods

In addition to plant type, in order to improve the ornamental value of crape myrtle, the team also tried variety breeding directions of different flower shapes and colors. However, the flower color trait of crape myrtle is relatively stubborn. For example, the flower color of Lagerstroemia speciosa is generally pink. No matter which crape myrtle variety with which flower color is hybridized, the flower color of the hybrid offspring is still pink and it is not fruitful. It is impossible to obtain the second generation of hybrids. Therefore, it is very difficult to breed Lagerstroemia speciosa with large flowers of other colors.

Therefore, on the basis of traditional hybridization breeding methods, the team established a genetic transformation system for crape myrtle and also started gene editing work. Pan Huitang introduced that it is estimated that within ten to twenty years, through molecular breeding technology, new crape myrtle varieties with other flower colors such as yellow flowers and stronger cold resistance and capable of being cultivated outdoors in Northeast China can be selected and bred. "The molecular marker-assisted breeding technology of crape myrtle is mature. We have found molecular markers closely linked to plant type traits. In the early screening of plant type traits, the accuracy rate exceeds 80%." He introduced.

"Ornamental value and stress resistance will be our two key breeding tasks. We hope that the emergence of more self-bred new and excellent varieties can make this flower with a long history shine again." He said.