Thanks once again, Maurice. It's so helpful the way you answer the questions. I suspect if one (a layperson, me for instance) tried to learn this cold from a book, they would soon be overwhelmed with technical words and concepts. The way you are explaining it, I can understand it.
So let me ask you this - if someone were to do a careful study of [some sufficiently large number of] hybridized, tet daylilies using both FCM and chromosome counts and found there was no indication that the relationship between DNA measurement and chromosome count would fail, can they from that point forward reasonably rely on FCM alone? Or, does this not work because tets are not a species unto themselves, but are conversions derived from a number of different species? Is there any reason to think a tet intro that traces its lineage back to H. Altissima (e.g.) would have the same relationship between DNA measurement and chromosome count as a tet intro that traces back to H. Sempervirens? Or does the fact that modern tet intros trace their lines back to a number of different original species mean they cannot be relied upon to all behave in a substantially similar way re: reliability of relationship b/w FCM and chromosome count?
Last (and final!) question: When a tet is discovered to be pollen fertile but pod sterile (or vice versa) does that mean that the pollen gametes have the normal complement of 22 chromosomes, but the egg gametes are likely to have fewer, or more than 22? Is that a likely reason for the pod infertility? If so, what would be the best way to 'fix' that through hybridizing? Look for a sib that is pod fertile and breed to that, trying to pick up pod fertility while keeping the genes limited to this particular cross? Or just breed to some other, unrelated tet known to be pod fertile and go with the most fertile kids? It's curious, because large-flowered UFs are often very difficult as pod parents, and I am wondering what it might be, genetically, that might help explain that and point the way to correcting it. Also, there are some large-flowered UFs that are Pod Very Difficult, but sometimes success can be had by making crosses in cooler weather. Would this mean there might be wrong # of chromosomes in the eggs, but this is somehow ameliorated by cooler weather? Could that be? Or is it more likely that you just lucked out and got a flower where the eggs did have the correct # of chromosomes?
I promise that's my last question. You're being very generous with your time and knowledge, and this is very interesting and helpful.
Rob
