Evaluating seedlings (Was: Re: Beauty Curve in Hostas)

At 08:41 AM 7/6/99 -0400, you wrote:
 >Jim nad Dan
>For me (trying to look at Hostas from a hybridizers stantpoint) this is
>one of the most intresting subjects.  Charting this ( as you are doing
>with the color wheel) could provide some very intresting results.  As I
>discuss Hybridising goals with people, I get quite a divergance of
>opnion, on what are important attributes for nwe plants.  Some think
>better flowers, (but what constitutes "better flowers") others (like me)
>think "seasonal longivety" is very important.  I don't think to many
>would disagree that slug resistance is a top priority, but even there
>not everyons think that all out future Hostas should be plansic looking
>plants.  Some things are very personal, Should more blants be small?
>large? should they be verigated, or solid colors? Ect. Regtonal
>considerations like heat tolerance, would be a factor.  It would be
>great to hear from everyone what ecah really think makes a great plant,
>and as Jim suggests find a good way to chart that info.
>Ran
 
Ran,
When you are breeding for color, seems obvious how you evaluate seedlings
(I assume you grow on promising ones to maturity to see final color).

But what objective measures do you use to evaluate plants for heat
tolerance, or slug damage, or other less obvious characteristics? How long
do you have to grow a seedling before you can fairly judge heat tolerance?
Do those of you who hybridize in the North send out candidate plants to
growers in the South for evaluation? Just curious, not hinting for plants. :-)

Gerry (Noting that even you Yankee hybridizers could evaluate hostas for
heat tolerance this week!)>
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