Re: Exploding pumpkins - New theory
- To:
- Subject: Re: Exploding pumpkins - New theory
- From: T*
- Date: Tue, 20 Apr 1999 09:48:47 -0400
There is a control group. The people that issue pvp have 2500 control group
seeds. And I am sure Ray Waterman has some also. Since he grew the controll
group for Howard Dill to get his PVP in the USA.
Troy
troynayler@golden.net
-----Original Message-----
From: SteveS012@aol.com <SteveS012@aol.com>
To: pumpkins@mallorn.com <pumpkins@mallorn.com>
Date: Tuesday, April 20, 1999 6:15 AM
Subject: Re: Exploding pumpkins - New theory
>In a message dated 4/19/99 11:42:54 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
>Pumkinguy@aol.com writes:
>
>> WITHHOLDING
>> nutrients), do you think this might help?
>> >>
>> Steve,
>> Good ideas. We always must keep thinking and trying things. One of
the
>> toughest parts of trying to do research on the Atlantic Giant is that
>there
>> is no control. When experimenting with a plant, you normally take an
>> untreated ( control group), treat the other half of the specimens with
>less
>> water, more water, less water with less nutrients, less water with more
>> nutrients, more water with less nutrients, more water with more
nutrients,
>> more and less water with different nutrients etc., etc. Now you compare
>the
>> propensity to split in the different groups. Here comes the problem.....
>> Lets say you have 10 plants in the control group to compare to. The
>Atlantic
>>
>> Giant is so unpredicable that the 10 control plants might exhibit all
>> different degrees of splitting and non splitting. All treated the same
and
>> all from the same pumpkin. It will make you pull out your hair. If we
can
>> get
>> a plant straightened out genetically, we could have good control
>> plants....then when you make a change, you could compare it to a good,
>> consistant control group. So many of us conduct "fly by the seat of your
>> pants" research while having fun growing pumpkins. I have seen very slow
>> growing pumpkins split wide open....there's a disturbing piece of
>research.
>> Over the last 15 years, the science of giant pumpkin growing has taken
>many
>> turns. I remember when the gospel was....set a fruit at least 15 feet
out
>so
>>
>> you have a big enough root system and number of leaves to support a big
>> pumpkin.....makes sense....then Don Black came along and set a fruit 4
>feet
>> out on the plant on a side vine and set the world record. You must prune
>> your
>> plant to get a big pumpkin, Don Black again....unpruned. I still like
>> pruning, I don't care. The pumpkin must be set on the main
vine........Don
>> Black disproved that one too. I still like the main vine. A 5 segment
>flower
>>
>> is best.......many big 4 and 6 segment flowers. Many times we must get
up,
>> dust ourselves off and keep growing. Many of the gospels today, may be
>> disproven tomorrow....
>> pumkinguy
>
>I know, these things make you really see how much is dependant on genetics
>rather than cultural practices! Anyway what you said about having a
"control"
>is true! I have been trying to convince everyone since last summer about
how
>we should try to clone A.G.'s, just for this purpose of doing some studies!
>Everyone thught I was insane. Well, O.K., I am, but that's not the point.
We
>need to get some clones in order to do some REAL studies. I mean in just
ONE
>SEASON, can you imagine if even 10 people grew one plant of these clones,
in
>different parts of the world, with entirely different cultural practices,
and
>even some to let grow "wild"? Just imagine the TONS of data we could get in
>just a few months! It would be more data than we have gotten in over 10
>years! Probably 10 times more. It would revolutionailize the sport! We
would
>then KNOW what was really because of the grower and not because of luck in
>genetics, and what practices REALLY make a difference. Right now it is
>basically 90% (or more) a lottery.
>Of course an F1 hybrid would be the next best thing, but not as good as a
>clone.
>I am hoping that someone will see the extreme benefits in this and this
could
>happen, soon!
>
>
>
>
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