Re: Mr. Sedlar's Credentials
One thing is for sure. If your putting up more than one or two post per
week on this list, your not growing giant pumpkins!! Your spending to much
time talking about nothing in most cases. Step back and take a look. Do
you see the established growers putting up post on this list more than twice
a week? No you don't! Enough talk!! Get growing!!
----- Original Message -----
From: "Great Pumpkin" <greatpumpkin99@hotmail.com>
To: <pumpkins@mallorn.com>
Sent: Thursday, April 13, 2000 5:19 PM
Subject: 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
>
>
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