Following the current tendency for xeriscaping in landscaping and gardening, and taking into consideration the various ecological, environmental, economical and aesthetic advantages of using native plants, this research concerns the assessment, improvement and promotion of five Greek Salvia species (Salvia fruticosa, Salvia pomifera, Salvia tomentosa, Salvia ringens and Salvia officinalis), aiming to obtain new hybrids with superior floricultural characteristics, such as small plant size, different flower colors, abundant and prolonged flowering, varied foliage shapes and colors, as well as drought tolerant and easy to grow, which are sought on the international market of ornamental herbs.
Preliminary crossings will take place with plants of the above mentioned species (one clone per species will be selected) available to the company “KALANTZI CHARA” and randomly collected from nature. S. officinalis and S. fruticosa will not be crossed with each other, because many crossings (hybrids) between them have been achieved and used in floriculture, but the selected clones of these two species will be crossed with the selected clones of the other three species. Each clone will be used both as a pollen parent and as a seed parent for all crossings. For each crossing 100 flowers will be fertilized in order to estimate the effectiveness of fertilization. The proposed crossings aim at the exploitation of the specific characteristics of each species, such as flower color diversity of all species, bright colors of S. pomifera spp. pomifera, abundant early flowering of S. fruticosa, low plant height of S. ringens and S. tomentosa, minimum water requirements of S. pomifera and S. fruticosa. In order to obtain clones of desirable characteristics from naturally occurring populations, native populations of the five species will be recorded and evaluated in specific regions of Greece where significant phenotypic variability has been observed by our team. From individuals with special or interesting morphological characteristics, shoot cuttings will be collected to create new clones – mother plants. These clones will be evaluated in nursery conditions in order to select up to five clones per species for new crossings, which will be defined based on the preliminary crossings described above. All hybrids produced will be evaluated for desirable floricultural characteristics, the effect of photoperiod on flowering, as well as for drought resistance (in the greenhouse and on an extensive urban green roof under various irrigation frequencies). Besides, the stability of their characteristics during cultivation and multiplication will be recorded.
Finally, propagation protocols by seed, stem cuttings and tissue culture will be developed for the five species, with emphasis on S. pomifera, S. tomentosa and S. ringens, which haven’t been studied until now, as well as for some of the clones, and of the final produced hybrids, with the aim of acquiring the necessary know-how to produce high quality propagation material that will also be a “commercial product” (apart from plants) of the company. The effect of germination conditions (in growth chambers) and storage time on the germination ability of seeds, as well as the effect of rooting hormone treatments and collection season on rooting of cuttings will be investigated. Moreover, in vitro cultures will be established in order to investigate the efficiency of micropropagation. Through this project, the company “KALANTZI CHARA” will be able to produce new Salvia hybrids of the Greek flora for ornamental use, as potted plants and/or garden plants adapted to xerothermic conditions, for the Greek and world market, increasing the competitiveness and price of its products, as well as expanding Its turnover and profitability through the production of innovative products.