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Kakegawa AU6

Variety Description

Variety used for comparison: 'Brightside'

Summary: 'Kakegawa AU6' has taller plants with longer leaves and larger inflorescence diameter than 'Brightside'. The upper side of the ray florets is light yellow with a light yellow orange margin and white base for 'Kakegawa AU6' while it is all white for 'Brightside'. The lower side of the ray florets is yellow with brown stripes for 'Kakegawa AU6' while it is light blue with grey white stripes for 'Brightside'.

Description: PLANT: upright to bushy growth habit

SHOOT: short to medium in length, erect to semi-erect attitude

LEAF: alternately arranged along stems, obovate shape, moderate degree of lobing, sinuate margin

LEAF BLADE (upper side): sparse pubescence, medium green, variegation absent

FLOWER: begins mid-season, only one complete ray floret whorl

RAY FLORET: ranging from elliptic to ligulate in shape, light yellow with a light yellow orange margin and white base on the upper side, yellow with brown stripes on the lower side

Origin & Breeding History: 'Kakegawa AU6' originated from a hybridization conducted in 1994 at the Sakata Seed Corporation Chogo Research Station in Chogo Prefecture, Japan. The objective of this breeding program was to develop varieties with suitable form for pot culture that also have large flowers that stay open later into the evening. An Osteospermum fruticosum breeding population was established in 1989. The female parent used in the initial cross to obtain 'Kakegawa AU6' was selected from this population. Five generations of plant selection and intercrossing were conducted until breeding line '573' was selected in 1994. The selection criteria used were yellow ray florets and flowers which remain open in the afternoon or into the evening. In 1994, line '573' was crossed with line '601'. The F1 seed was sown that fall and in the spring of 1995, line '790' was selected based on its unique white petals with yellow tips and the characteristic of flowers open late into the afternoon. Line '790' was vegetatively propagated and further evaluated before being renamed 'Kakegawa AU6' in 1996. Further evaluation of the variety was conducted in 1997 and 1998.

Tests & Trials: The test and trial for 'Kakegawa AU6' was conducted in a polyhouse at Variety Rights Management in Oxford Station, Ontario during the summer of 2005. The trial included 15 plants of each variety grown in 10 cm pots. The plants were spaced 12.5 cm apart. All colour characteristics were determined using the 2001 Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) colour chart and measured characteristics were based on ten measurements.

Osteospermum: 'Kakegawa AU6' (left) with reference variety 'Brightside' (right)