Re: Pumpkin A & B = C
- To: pumpkins@mallorn.com
- Subject: Re: Pumpkin A & B = C
- From: H* E* P*
- Date: Wed, 07 Apr 1999 13:44:00 -0700
- References:
pumpkins@mallorn.com wrote:
>
> Hi All. Someone please tell me if i'm wrong?
>
> 1) The effect of cross pollinating will be seen in the seed's of the pumpkin
> and not the pumpkin of that year. I know this is fact, not a theory.
** I agree.
>
> 2) Then if pumpkin A is the male and weigh's 500 pounds and is crossed with
> pumpkin B which is the female and also weigh's 500 pounds then the resulting
> pumpkin C is the result of the cross pollination?
** I do not understand this question. If C is a pumpkin grown from a
seed produced by the A x B cross, the traits of Pumpkin C will be result
of the genes plant C got from A and B.
>
> 3) I say NO WAY!! So when one scramble's to get the parent's of pumpkin C,
> they should be more interested in the female rather than the male?
There are some things Plant C will get only from its mother (mother
being the plant that bore the fruit. The egg is bigger and is a complete
cell, the sperm are smaller and do not have much cytoplasm from the
pollen parent. Most important is that all the mitochondria come from the
female (in all species). Mitochondria might be very similar from all AG.
The mitochondria are where most of the ATP molecules (energy packets)
are produced. While I can't think of an example, it is possible that the
cytoplasm of the egg carries other important traits. The mitochondria do
carry some nucleic acid. It is very difficult to study the contribution
of the egg cycloplasm because it always comes from the mother.
>
> 4) Cross pollinating is only done to try to produce quality seed's?
Yes. For an example look to the apple growers. The fruit going to the
customer must be very precise red delicious in flavor, etc. However, red
delicious is a poor pollen producer or perhaps somewhat self-sterile (I
have forgotten). Therefore the red delicious grower looks for a heavy
pollen producer to supply pollen for the red delicious trees. He does
not care what variety is the male. (I think winesap is often used).
>
--
Harold Eddleman Ph.D. Microbiology and genetics
i*@disknet.com
Location: Palmyra IN USA; 36 kilometers west of Louisville, Kentucky
http://www.disknet.com/indiana_biolab/pk.htm
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