Propagation of Native, Deciduous Azaleas
Through Tissue Culture

There are fifteen native azaleas species that occur naturally in the Eastern United States but surprisingly, these plants have been drastically underutilized in our landscapes. Deciduous azalea hybrids and species continue to be highly prized abroad, but are still relatively rare in gardens in the United States. In addition, little exploration and evaluation of our existing species in the wild has been done since those early European explorers collected plant materials many years ago. In recent years, there has been increased interest in native plants, and especially our East Coast native azaleas. One problem with commercial production of deciduous azaleas is that these plants have been notoriously difficult to propagate. Cuttings are usually very difficult to root, and even those that do root can have problems breaking dormancy the following season. Since these plants are deciduous, if new growth is not sent out the following season, cuttings that may have rooted will eventually die if they do not produce foliage. To date, most nurserymen who have been supplying native azaleas to the market have relied primarily on seed grown plants.

Tissue culture techniques have proven very successful for propagating deciduous azaleas, and recently several new hybrid groups developed from our native species are beginning to come to market. In collaboration with Dr. Rumen Conev (Virginia Tech Department of Horticulture), we are developing protocols for propagation using both existing meristems, as well as de novo meristem induction. The proposed research project would allow the Institute for Sustainable and Renewable Resources at IALR, Danville, in collaboration with Beautiful Gardens^TM Program to experiment with some superior native azalea selections in order to establish a commercial pipeline for this product in Virginia. The outcome of our research will be a protocol for high-throughput propagation that will allow developing a Virginia-based liner production of superior local genetic resources with potential to be marketed within the US and worldwide.