RE: Hybridization
Sounds like some propaganda to grow open pollinated varieties, not from
you but from that site. I am all for growing heirlooms like tomatoes &
peppers, but some of their statements on their site are a little fishy
or not really proven. For example: "Hybrids have been bred with an
emphasis on yield at the expense of hardiness and resistance." All
hybrids I've ever used had MORE resistance to diseases, especially
tomatoes--you don't see heirlooms that are rated VFFNT (Verticillium,
Fusarium 1, Fusarium 2, Nematodes, Tobacco Mosaic Virus), etc. It also
says: "Breeders will sacrifice disease resistance where pesticides are
available." Do pesticides have ANYTHING to do with disease resistance,
or should it say fungicides instead of pesticides? Or: "Modern hybrid
seeds require large amounts of water often necessitating the
construction of irrigation systems and dams." this sounds a bit extreme.
As for pumpkins, Prizewinner is a hybrid but you will never know what
you would get by growing its seeds without trying. Unless somebody else
already tried it. Also, the results could be either of the parents or
another prizewinner, or even something else depending on genes &
dominant & recessive traits. I wanted to do a Prizewinner x AG cross to
get a rounder, darker orange, "pumpkin-looking" AG pumpkin but didn't
get a prizewinner started in time. Either your prizewinner "saved" seeds
or my PW x AG cross, we would have to wait til next year to see the
results, and the results may not be representative of the seeds,
especially if you only grow a couple/few of the hundreds of seeds. There
have been some instances of some hybrid tomatoes growing true 99 of 100
times (I believe either Santa grape tomato or SunGold orange cherry
tomato) so sometimes the word "Hybrid" in a seed catalog gets
questioned--maybe they really aren't hybrids but you are "taught" to buy
them every year.
Mark
korney19 AT adelphia DOT net
http://server3001.freeyellow.com/bowtiesupply/img/garden/
Zone 6a, Buffalo, NY
-----Original Message-----
From: owner-pumpkins@mallorn.com [o*@mallorn.com]On
Behalf Of Lorie Carriere
Sent: Tuesday, September 18, 2001 2:48 PM
To: pumpkins@mallorn.com
Subject: Re: Hybridization
http://www.primalseeds.org/hybrid.htm
>>> <Sigmaxiser@aol.com> 09/18 12:49 PM >>>
Please excuse my blunder this morning in sending an empty msg.
I am growing some Prizewinner HYBRIDS this summer and doing quite well.
A
recent msg said that the seeds from this years PWH fruit were not
trustworthy
for use next year since they are from a hybrid plant. Does this mean
that
the Burpee seeds are hybridized every year? What might the parents be?
I
grow the prizewiners so I can have some spectacular fruit to display in
the
front of my house. I took a year off from any AG endeavors due to last
years
disastrous summer here in western NY.
I had planned to salvage the seeds from the biggest PWH for next year.
Is this pumpkin truly a Hybrid, renewed every year? If it is only
pollinated
with a sibling, will this make a difference? I thought I knew about
hybridization, but maybe I was misltaken.
My dictionary says Hybrids are the result of crossing two different
species.
On this basis, AG's are not hybrids, right? At least not anymore.
Can someone clear the cobwebs from my mind?
Incidentally, the PWH plants are still expanding and setting fruit.
TIA
Paul in western NY.
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