Breeding of Dendrobium Officinale cv. Xianhu 1 and Its Characteristics

OBJECTIVE To conserve the wild germplasms of Dendrobium officinale and offer elite cultivar for production. METHODS System breeding method was adopted for the breeding of new cultivar from collected wild germplasm of D. officinale. Paraffin slicing technique was used to identify the genuineness of D. officinale. ISSR molecular marker technique was also performed to distinguish genetic difference between new cultivar and other D. officinale materials. RESULTS An elite new cultivar “Xianhu 1” has been bred successfully with more than ten years. Yield and quality testing showed that 36 months-old yield of fresh leave and stem of “Xianhu 1” was 2.54 kg·m^-2, and increased by 104.0% and 32.4% versus that of controls, respectively. The dried stem ratio was 24.9%, and increased by 63.0% and 38.7% versus that of controls, respectively. The rough polysaccharide content of “Xianhu 1” was 47.1% in dried stem, and increased by 117.1% and 187.2% versus that of controls, respectively. ISSR analysis indicated that there were clear differences in DNA level between “Xianhu 1” and other D. officinale cultivar or lines. CONCLUSION “Xianhu 1” is an elite cultivar with good synthetic agronomic traits. Its successful breeding could improve the normal development in the industry of D. officinale.