6/29/2016
Behind the Variety: Star Power
Katie Elzer-Peters
At the 2016 Spring Trials, PanAmerican Seed debuted the interspecific Megawatt Begonia series in four colors, (one of which, in particular, captured the interest of visitors).
The four colors are Red Green Leaf, Pink Bronze Leaf, Rose Bronze Leaf and Rose Green Leaf. Bart Sneek, Senior Global Product Manager EU Region for PanAmerican Seed, said the Pink Bronze Leaf emerged as a clear crowd favorite during the trials. “The mass of pink flowers contrasts beautifully with the bronze leaves. It’s a completely different look for this type of begonia,” he said.
These interspecific plants have an intercontinental origin story fit for an up-and-coming supermodel, but Lynne Knosher, Plant Breeder in Elburn, Illinois, for PanAmerican Seed, and Han Sasbrink, Head Breeder in Venhuizen, Netherlands for PanAmerican Seed, spent years swapping plant material and filling out customs forms and undergoing agricultural inspections for more than runway beauty.
Interspecific begonias are a huge part of PanAmerican Seed’s breeding programs. In addition to Megawatt, BabyWing and Dragon Wing are two popular series they created. “We’re always working on new varieties, as retailers and growers ask for them,” Bart notes, adding the plants in the series were rigorously tested. “Once you go to market, you cannot have a problem come up with the plant.”
Megawatt offers the traditional bedding begonia look in a jumbo package with huge flower power. So much so that the company is marketing it in gallon containers as a premium begonia that can fit into a variety of programs.
Growers and retailers will love Megawatt because it’s not, unlike most interspecific begonias, daylight sensitive. That means you can grow it and sell it early in the season. The two bronze leafed varieties are, in particular, less sensitive.
“This is why we trial in different areas—to discover and work on characteristics like this,” Bart says, The plant also tested well in Florida, standing up to scorching heat. Elsewhere, “it will bloom until frost,” says Bart. Growers can now provide a complete program of interspecific begonias throughout the growing season, starting with BabyWing and continuing with Megawatt and Dragon Wing.
Megawatt is the result of years of collaborative transatlantic breeding by Lynne and Han. Han notes, “We have two locations, which works out very well. We can see the differences in the way the genetics behave in varying light, temperature, humidity and other conditions.”
Lynne worked on the plants for a few years and then started collaborating with Han. “He’s my co-worker, but has some different germplasm. He saw some of my plants and thought they had potential. We put our hybrids together and have come up with some very nice plants,” she says, adding, “You can get a new plant to market much more quickly with two people working on it.” It took 10 years to polish off Megawatt, with the pace doubling about four years ago with the addition of Han to the program.
Lynne says, “We both have our niches that we work on, but we work very well together. I communicate with Han via email. We send pictures, meet in person\ and visit each other's trials.” They speak the same language—both growing up obsessed with plants. The result? A flexible, jumbo workhorse in the Megawatt series.
GP
Katie Elzer-Peters is a garden writer and owner of The Garden of Words, LLC, a marketing and PR firm handing mostly green-industry clients. Contact her at Katie@thegardenofwords.com or at www.thegardenofwords.com.
Growers interested in Megawatt can contact their seed or plug suppliers. There are no restrictions and it’s widely available.