HYB:embryo rescue

I suspect that RHYTHM and or LITTLE FREAK may be diploid.  Does anyone know for sure?
   
  I was digging around in the archives trying to find any mention of sucessful tetraploid X diploid crosses and stumbled upon mention of something called "embryo rescue". 
   
  It seems that the endosperm of a seed is created through a genetic process which is seperate from the process that creates the embryo itself.  This means that a genetically viable embryo may be sabotaged in its quest for germination by a genetically inviable endosperm.  These seeds are characteristically the ones that collapse, which is what all of my seeds from LF or R have done.  (ever so much more frustrating since they both set a pod if you look at them crosseyed.)
   
  Anyway, there is an embryo rescue technique which might be manageable in a home environment... I think.  Basically, you harvest really early, cut the pod into little discs and lay the discs in a petrie dish with 'nutrient agar'.  From there I'm a bit cloudy.  It seems like you would still have to proceed with your cold stratification.  In my refrigerator healthy seeds get all moldy- and nutrient agar is intended to grow molds for kids science projects- so how, I wonder, would I keep from just growing molds?  There must be something I missed.  All the websites I looked at were either someone's doctoral thesis, or for the fourth grade science fair.
   
  i think I may put in a call to the county extension office....
   
  christian
  ky
 Get on board. You're invited to try the new Yahoo! Mail Beta.

---------------------------------------------------------------------
To sign-off this list, send email to majordomo@hort.net with the
message text UNSUBSCRIBE IRIS
Other Mailing lists | Author Index | Date Index | Subject Index | Thread Index