Contributions to the introduction of Itoh-Paeonia in the Republic of Moldova

Abstract

The achievements of the Japanese breeder Toichi Itoh, from the middle of the 20th century (1948), had a crucial impact on peony breeding. By successfully crossing the woody peony ′Alice Harding′ with the herbaceous peony ′Kakoden′, he obtained

absolutely exceptional hybrids: the leaves are similar to the woody peony, and the habit is similar to the herbaceous peony. In the cold season of the year, the aerial part dies. According to recent classifications, they are attributed to intersectional hybrids (Moutan section x Paeonia section). Of the 36 seeds resulting from the hybridizations, 9 plants inherited the characters of the woody variety, and the rest of the seeds generated herbaceous plants. Toichi Itoh died in 1956, before being able to enjoy the results of his work. The researcher's work was continued by his assistant Shigao-Oshida, who in 1963 recorded the flowering of hybrids for the first time. The first generation of Itoh-hybrids

was promoted by the American horticulturist Luis Smirnov, who bought Toichi Itoh's patent. Later, as a co-author, he patented the varieties ′Yellow Emperor′, ′Yellow Dream′

etc. After a break in peony breeding, in 1988, the American breeder R. Anderson obtained significant results, fascinating the world with the Itoh-hybrids created, declaring that these robust, exceptional varieties are the flowers of the future (Martin Page, 1997).