Re: Exploding pumpkins - New theory
- To: pumpkins@mallorn.com
- Subject: Re: Exploding pumpkins - New theory
- From: S*@aol.com
- Date: Tue, 20 Apr 1999 05:52:36 EDT
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!
---------------------------------------------------------------------
To sign-off this list, send email to majordomo@mallorn.com with the
message text UNSUBSCRIBE PUMPKINS
