Page 21 - Simply Veg Issue 3 2019

Remember ordinary gardeners like you and me are builders of eternity.
benefits of a big boost in crop productivity which is desperately needed to feed the worlds growing population and also reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Remember ordinary gardeners like you and me are builders of eternity.
Over the last few years many types of plants including vegetables have been crossed and new “types” have been produced. But on the show bench you see” own seed” and no mention of the varieties used in the breeding programme or a name giving some indication of its parentage which would help any learner.
Yet we know it is extremely difficult to reproduce the cross owing to far too many factors involved in the selection process.
To be most effective we need to know how to chose and how to evaluate our hours of work into a selection of criteria for the results we are trying to achieve.
To do this we need to:
Prioritise a good culling / rogueing and checking programme when growing and which plants we save the seed from. Only the best plants must be selected every time. Variety maintenance do not happen as plants evolve in practise, it is important to improve plants at all times.
Some crosses are checked regularly as each season can throw up different faults, for example some plants will produce smaller flowers, be less vigorous, be prone to diseases and even leaf colour can change. Plants and seedlings can become infected by virus during the growing season and
these should be removed.
This can be achieved by allowing the
plants to flower (not always possible) and
we can often see the faults by this stage and any faulty plants removed.
Regular checking will spot any characteristics that we may need and can then try to ensure these are maintained in the breeding programme.
We can often make good use of any plants that do not toe the line as they may have use further down the breeding programme.
Any time you select, and cull look at the entire plant and if possible consider the soil pH, light levels, soil temperature and fertility and other factors that could affect the plants growth.
When selecting, select both the best “mother and father” plants, not just the best single impressive plant (which I have done at one time as no one told me otherwise!).
Remember when choosing parents,
the “edge effects” of more sunlight, water, fertilisers, if one batch of plants looks good ask why? Also, can we reproduce these conditions to “edge” the plants in the direction we want. Its more work, its not easy but it is a pleasure.
Remember when choosing the parents any growing and climatic affects you recorded, maybe your results were not so superior and were just lucky (like people) or owing to other factors.
Hybrids caused accidently can germinate faster as they may have hybrid vigour (like
F1 hybrids). Examine all details before culling any material, know why you are culling as this may prevent you throwing away good breeding material.
Do a rouge only after plants are big enough so any characteristics are clear to see. But check the plants are disease and virus free as these should be removed as soon as seen to prevent spreading to the other plants. If it is fruits you are breeding you will need to consider taste, colour, skin thickness as well as size. Other factors you may need to consider are hardiness, leaf structure, root growth, flowers, growth rates, size, yield and pest and disease resistance.
Once the seed is collected and checked this will need sowing at the correct time and checked carefully to note the germination rate (if too low the cultivar is unlikely to be successful). At this stage you need plenty of time and loads of space but if you produce a new seedling it is worth it!
We can take two inbred lines which are weak and intercross; the progeny are often uniform and vigorous (the F1 generation). Some species of vegetable and flowers can be set into the seedling stage in the first year to speed up your seed selections. For this you will need to be able to control the temperature and possible the light. Commercial producers send their seed to New Zealand where they are sown and grown over there during our winter and sent back to the U.K to grow here the next summer effectively saving a year - Ed
These notes and methods are for breeding fruit and vegetables but similar are used for flower breeding. You need the space, time, good equipment and possible money (oh yes and a good wife and children (or bairns as Jim calls them)).
As usual Jim ends his article with some quotations:
Money only comes before work in the dictionary. Very true – Ed
In the book of life, the answers are not on the back page
Life is like a tin of sardines, we are always looking for the key.
They say talk is like an operation alright until the anaesthetic wears off.
Thank you,
For members interested in the history of ‘Flavr Savr’ the following extract is from Wikipedia and gives a brief history - Ed
Flavr Savr (also known as CGN-89564-2; pronounced “flavor saver”), a genetically modified tomato, was the first commercially grown genetically engineered food to be granted a license for human consumption. It was produced by the Californian company Calgene,
and submitted to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1992.[1] On May 18, 1994,[2]the FDA completed its evaluation of the Flavr Savr tomato and the use of APH(3’) II, concluding that the tomato “is as safe as tomatoes bred by conventional means” and “that the use of aminoglycoside 3’-phosphotransferase II is safe for use as a processing
aid in the development of new varieties of tomato, rapeseed oil, and cotton intended for food use.” It was first sold in 1994, and was only available for a few years before production ceased in 1997.[3] Calgene made history, but mounting costs prevented the company from becoming profitable, and it was eventually acquired by Monsanto Company.
Jim
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