Sakata announces development of world's first pollen-free lisianthus

YOKOHAMA, JAPAN - Sakata Seed Corporation in Japan has developed the world’s first Lisianthus type that does not produce pollen.

With no stamen to produce pollen, Sakata’s new Lisianthus varieties display flower durability and the benefit of no scattered pollen that can cause staining of flowers, machines and home décor. The pollen-free flower type is common among cut flowers such as Sunflower, however this is a first in Lisianthus, a cut flower with increasing popularity and market growth. With the development of this new technology (patent pending), Sakata foresees an even greater expansion of the popularity of Lisianthus in the future.

There are two major benefits to the pollen free Lisianthus cut flower. The first is that during transportation, shaking will not cause pollen to scatter, thus the petals stay clean and are not smeared with pollen. Secondly, the absence of pollination can mean an ever longer vase life for the flowers. In studies carried out by Sakata and other companies, the decorative vase life of the flowers has been found to last about seven days longer than conventional Lisianthus varieties, presenting an opportunity for even higher commercial value.

Initially, Sakata has developed three varieties: Single-flowered White, Single-flowered Blue Picotee, and Single-flowered Pink Picotee. Seed sales of these three varieties is scheduled for test marketing in Japan is the fall of 2017. Research of a Double-flowered type is also underway and Sakata plans to announce this release in the future.