Re: 300 pound stock
Many times it has been pointed out that your plant my have had the
virus, but did not show symptoms. It could very well produce an offspring
that is not resistant to the virus, and since it may carry it, that plant
would not do well. The plant you had, had certain characteristics based on
its genes, the seed you are giving away has different genes and may not be
virus resistant. You will not know until you plant it and test it. I know I
don't want to be the ginny pig. Hey, it might have retained the virus
without showing symptoms in the plant phase last year but will this year.
And with so many growers with great seeds to give away, why take a chance,
even if it is just .1 percent that it will carry a virus. When growing
pumpkins a lot goes wrong. If it can go wrong, it usually does.
--- Great Pumpkin <greatpumpkin99@hotmail.com> wrote:
>
> >Steve.
> >
> >I have been notified that while you claim to have a virus resistant stock
> >that you did in fact have a virus infested plant last year. Where these
> >plants seperated by any great distance or where they growing side by side
> >in
> >the same garden? It is possible that the plant you think is virus tolerant
> >may in fact also be carrying the virus on the seeds but just did not
> >exhibit
> >the external symptoms the other plant showed.
> >
> >To the list - Is it possible that all the plants grown in the same garden
> >as
> >a infected plant could spread the virus?
> >
> >Regards
> >
> >Brian
> >
>
> Hi there, Brian. Thanks for asking these questions, since some on the list
> also have "concerns" on this issue, although they aren't as open minded as
> you, to actually ASK for information before you make your decisions. It is
> really nice to see!
> The reason that I know that my one plant was virus resistant is because a
> lot of my other plants HAD virus. (The only way to find resistance is if
> you
> have the virus)! This plant was completely healthy, never had any signs of
> any disease.
> As for having virus with no external symptoms. Good point! Although in 99%
> of all cases there are some visible symptoms, and this plant showed
> absolutely none, I wanted to clear it 100%, so I did foliage tests (on all
> my plants actually) using a bioindicator under instructions of a
> microbiologist, the other plants showed positive, the healthy plant showed
> no reaction whatsoever. Then earlier this year, I did more bioindicator
> tests on the pulverized seeds. No seeds from any plant showed a positive
> result. So I think this was thorough enough to clear the healthy plant of
> any possibility of virus infection.
> And like I said, there have been growers who have planted a lot of seeds
> from clearly virus infected fruit, with NO transmission to the next
> generation. With all of the seeds from infected fruit planted, to this
> date,
> there has not been ONE case of it ever transmitting via seed in c. maxima.
> Knowing these HARD FACTS, I would not worry much about virus being
> transmitted via seed in A.G.'s at all. The evidence shows that it is next
> to
> impossible (if not impossible). But hey if anyone has any contradicting
> evidence, please post it. I have been asking for over a year but no one has
>
> come up with anything yet, only evidence of it being transmitted in some
> other cucurbits, not c. maxima. No one can argue with the fact that there
> has never been one reported case of it happening. And I have a LOT of
> people
> telling me that the seeds from infected fruit that they have planted always
>
> came up with no virus at all, even planted in the same patch.
> As for my plants, they were not growing side by side. But the virus spreads
>
> by vectors, usually chewing or sucking insects who transmit infected sap
> from one plant to another. A lot of people here go by an "old" method of
> pulling up and burning their infected plants. A lot of other TOP GROWERS
> continue to grow their plants, especially if they are hit late. These are
> respected people in the pumpkin world who know their stuff. MY solution was
>
> actually isolation. I believe my solution (although 100 times more work and
>
> more expensive), theoretically works better, since the entire area
> containing the plant is enclosed with polyester (remay), and since it was
> late in the season, over that was polyethelene, to basically greenhouse it.
>
> Air was blown in with fans to ensure that it was a good seal. Filtered
> vents
> were at each end and small battery operated fans were used to ensure air
> circulation. The idea is to keep VECTORS from passing the virus on. In
> addition to all of the physical barriers, the plant was sprayed with a
> pyrethrum/rotenone knockdown followed by Sevin, in case the unlikely chance
>
> that any insect would sneak in, and if it did, it would not get out alive.
> It sounds extreme, but I already had the enclosures planned because I was
> growing late again, (and some of it I had from the year before). I actually
>
> used propane heaters to keep the temps up in December, when there was snow
> outside.
> As for when I handled any plant (since sap could be transmitted between
> plants on tools or hands), I always used disposable rubber surgical gloves,
>
> a jumper that I only had when I handled infected plants, and I always
> scrubbed with Hibiclens (a strong antimicrobal that surgeons use to scrub
> with before surgery). It sounds like overkill, and it might be, but hey, so
>
> is trying to grow pumpkins over 1000 pounds. I always take things to
> extremes, but at least no one can say there was a base I didn't have
> covered.
> Anyway, I hope this helped answer some of your questions. If you have any
> more questions or anything else, just let me know. I am always happy to
> answer actual questions from people who really want to talk about these
> things. It is a nice change of pace from simply getting called "ignorant"
> and a "moron". It is nice to have a real conversation, and even debate
> about
> things.
>
> -Steve
>
>
>
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