Re: Mr. Sedlar's Credentials
>Tom,
>
>Actually, I think there is a middle ground. If Steve would just post his
>credentials relative to the testing he has performed, I think that would
>suffice. Personally, I'd like to know what degrees Steve has in botany,
>microbiology or any related fields. Also, if Steve is licensed by the State
>of Ohio to perform such tests, knowing so would be helpful.
>
>I have asked these questions of Steve in a private note but have received
>no
>response. I have to presume that he has no degrees, no pertinent licenses
>and, therefore, no credibility.
>
>I also must presume that, since he must borrow garden space, it is highly
>unlikely that Steve has the specialized equipment needed to conduct such
>tests. Running a cereal bowl through the dish washer would not provide the
>sterile environment that such testing necessitates.
>
>For that matter, I'd like to know how Steve was able to identify which
>strain of mosaic virus that had infected his other pumpkins. He refers only
>to cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) when there are several viruses that can, and
>do, infect c. maxima and can be harbored and transmitted through its seed.
>There are plenty of university-sponsored Websites that indicate just that.
>
>As I explained to Steve privately, I put too much effort and money into my
>patch to be risking, even minutely, my garden to possibly infected seeds.
>Also, being a good neighbor to several truck farms, I cannot risk infecting
>their squash and pumpkin patches because of a greedy desire on my part to
>grow a big pumpkin. My garden is my hobby; theirs are their livelihoods. I
>must garden responsibly.
>
>So should Steve.
>
>Paul Thompson
>Armada, Michigan
>
Paul, I meant to reply to your email, (I actually thought I did), I am doing
a million things at once it is hard to keep track.
Anyway, I do NOT have any degrees in anything, and am not licensed (I am not
in the business of certifying pathogens in farm crops or for export of plant
material). I never said or implied that I did. However, screening for
viruses doesn't require a degree. I was working under the intructions
written by a microbiologist, (Dr. Harold Edelman) who I am sure will agree
that pretty much anyone who has even a basic knowledge of botany and biology
can do a virus screen. I think my tests are perfectly credible, and I am
sure the people who DO have these degrees will agree.
As far as borrowing garden space....? I am not sure I follow what this has
to do with testing for plant pathogens, or what testing equipment I have
available. I have full knowledge on how to run basic controlled tests, like
screening for pathogens using a bioindicator.
I had no need to go into trying to identify a strain of virus. The first
step is simply screening for ANY viruses present. If the tests were
positive, then of course the next step might be to have further more
detailed testing done to determine the specifics. Using a bioindicator (I
used National Pickling cucumber seedlings) is pretty straightforward, and
not very difficult at all. It also is the most obvious first step, since it
will screen out several known pathogens, and even any mutated or unknown
viruses which other methods could miss. It is one of the oldest amd most
reliable methods for screening plant material. Go to the pumpkin archives
and find where Dr. Edelman posts about how just about anyone can do this
test. I did this on the leaves of the plants last year, and on the seeds
most recently. The leaves of this plant were clean, while the others tested
positive. The seeds of ALL the plants tested negative, which also reinforces
the theory that CMV is not usually present in seeds of c. maxima (CMV seems
to prefer moist sappy environments). As far as your statement that CMV has
been transmitted via seed in c. maxima, I would like to see data that shows
this. I have done a lot of research and couldn't find anything like this.
Not even one case.
Besides researching scientific lab data, I have talked to a lot of growers
and local plant pathologists who said they have either personally or known
of someone who had virus in their entire crop, then the next year planted in
the same area, even using the seeds from the infected plants from the
previous year, and there was no sign of virus recurring whatsoever. There is
at least a couple of accounts identical to this posted in the archives as
well. I believe Harold Edelman said that Bill Greer mentioned this to him at
a seminar. Yet no one has ever had any problems with planting seeds from
Bill Greer, or anyone else in this situation, and they have not even run the
tests that I have on my plants and seeds, which CLEARS my seeds from
viruses.
I understand being cautious and taking virus issues seriously, but after a
certain point, and so much data that clears seeds of any risk, even more
than probably any other untested seeds (and plants that produced those
seeds) out there (virtually ALL seeds out there), it really starts to be
unfounded paranoia which is not based on anything except maybe a bitter
feeling towards me personally by some people, which is something I never
quite understood. I have always been honest and trustworthy, yet some would
obviously like to make it appear otherwise, for what reason, I am not sure.
-Steve Sedlar
______________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Pumpkin-growing FAQ: http://www.mallorn.com/lists/pumpkins/search.cgi
To sign-off this list, send email to majordomo@mallorn.com with the
message text UNSUBSCRIBE PUMPKINS
