From the:

9th International Heritage Rose Conference Proceedings
Charleston, South Carolina
October 14-18, 2001

Editors:
Malcolm Manners and G. Michael Shoup, Jr.



Research on the Early Noisettes: DNA Analysis at Florida Southern College, of Roses at the Hampton Park Study Garden



Acknowledgement: This talk reports on research done by Dr. Nancy Morvillo, molecular geneticist at Florida Southern College, Lakeland Florida, and two undergraduate students, Ms. Carmella Frederick and Ms. Amanda Wagner, over the summer of 2001.


Introduction
     While the history of the early Noisette roses in Charleston is fairly well-known, we don't have solid proof that the roses we grow today, under the historic names, are actually those original roses. Also, we have not been sure that what one nursery sells under a certain name was the same rose as a different nursery sells under the same name. A major part of the ongoing research on the early Noisette roses in Charleston's Hampton Park study garden has been to try to solve some of those problems. And as part of that research, we at Florida Southern college used techniques of DNA analysis to study the following questions:

1. Are the various 'Champneys' Pink Cluster' grown and sold by US rose nurseries actually the same rose?
2. Are the various 'Blush Noisette' grown and sold in the U.S. the same rose?
3. Are 'Old Blush' and R. moschata, as we grow them today, the parents of 'Champneys' Pink Cluster' as grown today?
4. Is 'Champneys' Pink Cluster', as grown today, a parent of 'Blush Noisette' ?

Study I: Comparing 'Champneys Pink Cluster' and 'Blush Noisette' accessions
     The study compared 'Champneys' Pink Cluster' from these sources: The Antique Rose Emporium, the Center for Historic Plants (Monticello), Chamblee's Nursery, Vintage Gardens, Wayside Gardens, Ruth Knopf, and the rose known in Florida as "Cato's Cluster." The 'Blush Noisette' sources were the Antique Rose Emporium, Joyce Demits (Heritage Rose Gardens), Rose Guardians Nursery, and Vintage Gardens.
     These roses were compared by extracting DNA from young, expanding leaflets and/or flower pet als, then performing a RAPD analysis (see accompanying article on DNA analysis technique), using five primers, then separating the DNA by agarose gel electrophoresis (see article on the process in this proceedings.)

Results
     All of the 'Champneys Pink Cluster' tested were identical with all five primers, except "Cato's Cluster," which showed slight differences, indicating that while it is very closely related to the other roses in this study, it is not identical. This is not surprising since, although "Cato's Cluster" is often grown and shown as 'Champneys' Pink Cluster', it is obviously not the same as the others in its flowers, leaves, or growth habit.
     All of the 'Blush Noisette' candidates studied were identical for all five primers. These results indicate that, while nurseries and individuals throughout the U.S.A. may have acquired their 'Champney's Pink Cluster' and 'Blush Noisette' from various original sources, they appear to be growing the same roses under those names.

Study II: Parentage of 'Champneys' Pink Cluster' and 'Blush Noisette'
     Since these two roses seem to be consistently identified, and since the historic literature says that 'Champneys' Pink Cluster' is the offspring of the musk rose (Rosa moschata) and 'Old Blush' (a China rose), we studied the relationship of the two Noisettes to each other, as well as to R. moschata and 'Old Blush', as grown today. Again, a RAPD analysis using five DNA primers was used.

Results
     We found that the single-flowered musk rose (R. moschata) and 'Old Blush' jointly accounted for all the bands we saw for the 'Champneys' Pink Cluster' accessions, giving us very strong reason to believe that those two roses are the parents of 'Champneys' Pink Cluster', as grown and identified today, and therefore, strengthening our opinion that we are growing the "correct" 'Champneys' Pink Cluster' today. In the 'Blush Noisette' study, 'Champneys' Pink Cluster' accounted for approximately half of the DNA bands of 'Blush Noisette', supporting the concept that 'Champneys' Pink Cluster' is a direct parent of the rose we grow today as 'Blush Noisette' , and therefore, strengthening our opinion that we are growing the "correct" 'Blush Noisette' today.




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