RE: Seeds
madman,
could you explain the process you hinted to on "purifying" desired genes by crossing a plant with its parent? Your last posting was long, but I was really getting into it when you cut it short!
Toby
clarion <clarion500@earthlink.net> wrote:
Marv;
I grew the "One Ton Cross" myself, which grew my 419 pumpkin, at that time,
my biggest. I also grew the 1061 as well that season, which grew my smallest.
I pollinated the 1 TC with the 1061 [which grew a one- something worthless
ugly fruit]. I began researching pumpkin genetics TO DEATH after local
friend James Kane grew my 419 and grew a small one from it's offspring the
next year. I'm still researching years later...LOL! What I've figured out
though was both the 1061 and the 1006 both were pollinated with male
plants exhibiting similar characteristics. That is, The 1061 and the 1006
both had genetics favoring mid- size fruits as the dominating trait. The
male plants use to pollinate must have also had the same genetic code
favoring mid- size fruits as well. The resulting cross was mid- size fruit
from most offspring. I'm sure that both had seeds capable of producing
the recessive trait which allowed both of those fruits to reach the sizes
they did, but since neither were self pollinated, those genetics were not
stabilized and isolated. When they were crossed with plants exhibiting
dominate genetics favoring mid- size fruits, such as the genes both plants
also carried, the resulting offspring created mid size fruits. If both plants
had been self pollinated, then had seeds grown from both of those selfed
strains crossed together then, the chance of those offspring producing
possible large fruits would have been much more enhanced. What went
wrong seems to be linked to the cross pollinating plants that were used.
Not every seed created in the pumpkins carry the same genetic codes.
When a silver bullet plant exhibiting superior qualities is crossed with
another silver bullet plant as well, a possible good cross more likely.
Odds decrease when the silver bullet plant is crossed with a mid- size
genetic, or a small size genetic from the male plant. Two silver bullet
crosses still do not always produce 100 % silver bullet seeds though,
as there are still recessive genes that pair up when the cross is made.
Growing several seeds from that cross, finding the great ones exhibiting
silver bullet traits and eliminating those that do not, helps the grower to
make more "true breeding" seeds. I could write about 10 more pages
about REALLY isolating genes by growing seeds then back crossing
them with their mother {by propagating the mother plant}, but that is
for some other time....LOL!
I'm sure there are others who can explain this in better detail than I can.
Since I have some understanding of genetics and had field experience
growing both the "One Ton Cross" and the 1061, I thought I'd share
what little I know. I hope my theory and thoughts were helpful.
"Madman" Marc Sawtelle
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Some years ago I crossed the Greer 1006 with the Zehr 1061, the first pumpkin
over 1000 pounds. I sent some of the seeds to Ray Waterman and he related to
me that a number of those seeds which had the 1006 as the female produced
pumpkins over 700 pounds. Keep in mind that these were most likely not grown
by
experienced growers though I am not certain of this. He referred to these
seeds
at the time as the "one ton cross." This was the original "one ton cross."
Interestingly to me, there were not many really large pumpkins grown from
either
the 1006 or the 1061. Information about parentage was not as abundant at the
time but looking back there are not many pumpkins that I can find of any size
related closely to these two pumpkins. Could any of you geneticists out there
tell me why these seeds didn't produce as one might have expected? Also, I
still have a few of those seeds left if anyone is interested. If interested
please
E-mail me privately.
Marv in Altoona
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