Re: expertice

Ben:

>Yes the first leaf of allium is a true leaf. the cotyledon is still 
>attached to the seed.	

Allium seeds may be attached to the cotyledon, but the seed coat is 
above ground at the tip of the cotyledon, just as you would expect for 
a cotyledon.

>I am not a fruit fly specialist actually worked only 1 year with 
>them I have first a general  degree in Biology ( takes here 6 years 
>including 50 % botany . Then a PHD (another 4 years) in fungal 
>genetics.

I greatly respect your intelligence, but I find that you make some 
very broad assumptions in the articles you have in the Hosta Journal 
that are not supported by any evidence.  You now admit that mutations 
are rare, but yet you still think that mutations can partly account 
for the high rate of sporting in hostas and you seem to imply that 
hostas have a high rate of mitotic crossing over but never present any 
evidence of it.  

Could you also explain to me how it is that a mutated gene can never 
have more then 99% of its original activity as you implied in the 
Journal and can you please site the references to support this.

>I forgot about the mitotic crossing over. It is the most likely 
>explanation for a green edge appearing as a sport on a yellow plant, 
>not very rare in hosta as can be seen in my book on sports.

As to high levels of mitotic crossing over, I would not rule it out as 
something that may be unique to hostas, but if it did occure there 
should be some other consequences that should show up.  In your 
Journal article you seem to imply that mitotic crossing over can be 
the cause of quite a few sports.  If mitotic crossing over did occure 
it could occure in ANY cell undergoing mitosis.  This should result in 
some daughter cells that are now recessive for a trait that was 
heterozygous, such as yellow leaves.  If mitotic crossing over does 
occure wouldn't we see patches of recessive traits showing up 
scattered throughout the plant?

Also, I'm not going to believe that mitotic crossing over is common in 
hostas just because you say so when you don't present any evidence for 
it.  If you want to convince me, show me the evidence!  Your book of 
sports is mostly unsupported assumptions, so I am not going to accept 
that as an authority to explain sporting in hostas.

The point I've been trying to make is that your three rules of thumb 
for figuring out sports in hosta is inadequate.  I don't make any 
claims to know the answer, but I am working on it.  If you observe 
hostas very carefully and how they sport you will come up with a few 
bits and pieces of information that should give you an insight into 
some possible explainations why hostas sport.  If you can convince me 
that you have figured out the clues, then maybe I'll discuss some of 
my ideas with you.

I know you said you grow about 60 hostas.  I would guess, however, 
that you have never propagated hostas by the thousand as a commerical 
venture as I have.  I'll give you a hint to the answer to the offer in 
the previous paragraph - if you learn to propagate hostas rather then 
just grow hostas you may discover some very interesting things.  

Now, would you please answer the questions you seem to keep averting.

Joe Halinar

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