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July 2011
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Blue notes for the anthuriumBy Professor Pathmanathan Umaharan
Cultivation of Anthurium as a crop began in Trinidad and Tobago in 1915, when Eugene André introduced Anthurium andraeanum Linden Ex André here and to the rest of the Caribbean. It quickly graced every cocoa plantation (and some citrus as well) as a companion crop becoming an integral part of the landscape of Trinidad and Tobago. The Anthurium industry however was soon to fade away with the demise of the cocoa industry. Breeding in Hawaii and the Netherlands took Anthurium to a new level. With attractive shapes and an ever-widening colour range, which includes shades of white, coral, orange, pink, red, green, brown, and various patterns, Anthurium quickly climbed the popularity charts – becoming second only to Orchids among tropical flowers. Anthurium flowers are about 3 mm in size and develop crowded in a spike on an axis called a spadix. This spadix can take on many forms (club-shaped, tapered, spiraled, and globe-shaped) and colours. But the most attractive part of the Anthurium bloom is the large heart-shaped spathe that surrounds the spadix. It is this that comes in many shapes, colours and patterns and warms our hearts. Propelled by the availability of exotic Dutch Anthurium varieties, intensive shadehouse technologies and a growing North America market for tropical ornamentals, there was a renaissance of sorts in the Caribbean in the 1980s. Cultivation expanded rapidly, increasing production volumes and bringing significant foreign exchange earnings to the countries. But by the mid-1990s, the industry was again facing serious challenges, this time, from bacterial diseases and nematodes, resulting in a steady decline. In early 2000, most Anthurium plantations had either collapsed or were on the verge of collapsing. Ironically, the early local Anthurium varieties, although not appealing as the Dutch hybrids, were resistant or tolerant to these plagues. It was almost as though the Dutch had inadvertently bred out characteristics so important for tropical adaptability. It is an ever-repeating story of inappropriate technologies fuelling the collapse of industries. Every challenge however brings opportunities. And our opportunity was “to create a new line of tropically adaptable varieties” towards supplying the growing need for such products in the tropics – the emerging economies. Researchers at The UWI, St. Augustine, joining with Kairi Blooms Ltd, one of the larger Anthurium production outfits in Trinidad and Tobago, began working towards developing bacterial resistant varieties of Anthurium. The novel methods developed are part of a patent application. The collaboration between UWI and Kairi Blooms Ltd is a successful example of a university-private sector partnership. The outputs could not have been obtained without bringing together the strengths of both parties to create a product that would be immediately applicable to the industry. New Anthurium research at UWI is set to take another bold step forward. The stock colours existing up until now were created through traditional breeding approaches by crossing different but related species of Anthuriums. These methods could not produce colours beyond the range that already exist. The bioengineering approach that we are adopting seeks to achieve new colours, beyond this range. UWI researchers are investigating the internal circuitry (biochemical) and switches (genes) involved in producing the chemicals responsible for the various colours – anthocyanins. Can we modify the internal circuitry of the plant by changing the switches to produce novel colours such as yellows, blue and purples, which are not part of the existing range of colours? In another twist to the story, research has now shown that the ultimate colour is not only dependent on the pigment present, but also on the cell shape, metal ions present and cellular acidity (pH). Have you wondered why “Morning Glory” changes in colour from reddish purple to blue over reflecting changes in pH? Switches that control the pH can now be used to add a novel flavour to the colour. UWI researchers saw a similar parallel in Anthurium with higher pH associated with lighter colours. The research shows that corals, which have the highest pH among the colour groups, may be best suited as targets to develop blue Anthuriums. Researchers at UWI have outlined some of their recent publications on the theoretical basis to modifying colours. This is not a pipe dream. If the researchers can convert the theory into practice, this major breakthrough may not be far away. Novel colours fetch significant premiums compared to the traditional colours and hence can only augur well for developing a competitive Anthurium industry. The development of new colours as well as resistance to bacterial diseases and nematodes is part of plan to create a competitive Anthurium cut-flower industry in Trinidad and Tobago. The new varieties can pave the way to producing anthurium blooms cheaply for export, without the associated risk factors of pests and diseases which have served as major deterrents to farmers. Furthermore, the novel colours can significantly improve the price of blooms, and thus their profitability and competitiveness. The larger question is: can we harness these developments to create an Anthurium planting material industry to cater for the planting material needs of the tropical world, all of which are plagued with bacterial and nematode problems? Successfully done, this can provide opportunities for the development of economically viable enterprises, each capable of creating employment opportunities – a breeding industry producing tropically adapted Anthurium varieties, micropropagation units, which multiply the material to large quantities using tissue culture techniques, marketing organisations, marketing the planting material throughout the tropical world, cut-flower production outfits, exporting cut-flowers to various North American destinations and an e-commerce facility to facilitate retailing of Anthuriums to their very homes. These can create a cluster of industries, each supporting each other and creating sustainable employment opportunities for the country. It can serve as one of many opportunities that we must grasp if we are to effectively diversify the economy and come out of the tailspin we have found ourselves in. We are living in a knowledge world and if we are to create a successful niche for ourselves, we must embrace building such knowledge-based industries. We need to put the nuts and bolts together to ensure that such successes do not remain pipe dreams that just go down the drain. –Professor Pathmanathan Umaharan, Omaira Avila-Rostant and Dr Adrian M. Lennon from the Department of Life Sciences at The UWI, St. Augustine conducted six experiments involving 23 cultivars of Anthurium. It is the first study of the association between pH in Anthurium spathe, a modified leaf. The study was published in HortScience. |
When you think of tropical flowers, doesn’t the Anthurium immediately pop into your mind? It is that ubiquitous bloom that warms your heart wherever you find it, whether it is at home, a restaurant, in your favourite hotel, or even in those attractive bunches calling out to you at the open-air markets. Indeed, it is truly tropical in that it is indigenous to the Caribbean and tropical America and is a part of the rich tradition of Trinidad and Tobago.