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NEPA roller46@hotmail.com KB3QKV

I was just reading a seed catalogue for some flowers and vegetables that my wife wants to order for this upcoming spring. I noticed that there was information about each seed and a lot of them said that the plants were resistant to certain diseases, blights, etc. I was thinking, is there anyone that is trying to grow AG pumpkins that are disease resistant instead of other problems that we are concerned about such as being orange? How does someone create a plant that is disease resistant? Does it take several generation?

11/19/2005 7:13:06 AM

Ctpumpkin@optonline.net

It usually does take many generations to collect enough substantial data to draw valid conclusions.

Doing so would require growing out ALL (or an awful lot) of the seeds from a chosen fruit all under the same conditions (same year - same site). This would be done over several seasons to make valid comparisons. Monitoring weather & causal pathogen inoculant pressure (spore counts of PM for example) are substantive values that need collection.

Due to their size, AGs pose obvious grow-out challenges.

To make matters worse is the fact that AGs just aren't very marketable. All of this time, space & data collection cost money. So no one is doing it in the commercial sector. The public sector can't justify this either since we don't EAT AGs.

The good thing is us. Our quest to keep pushing the weights up & the constant communication between growers (BigPumpkins, AGGC, Growers Assoc's, etc) helps weed out the slug seeds. So by the nature of our humble efforts, the competetive growers are already forcing the hand of genetic selection. Inevitably we are already doing the things that insure improved disease resistance by avoiding those genetic sets that aren't meeting growth expectations.

11/19/2005 9:18:22 AM

Long Island,New York

Unfortunately it only takes one 400lber from a grower in a bad area,or poor soil,or mandatory summer family vacation, or hail storm,or patch elephants,etc..etc....to brand a seed a dud in the eyes of other growers.

11/19/2005 9:42:55 AM

Minnesota(dw447@fastmail.fm)

In certain vegetables/fruits, introducing genes for disease resistance, is done by breading with wild (more disease resistant) relatives. Doing this in A.G.(breading with more disease resistant Maximas) would most likely result in smaller fruit sizes. Genetic engineerung would be an option, but one I hope doesn't become a reality. The economics behind genetic engineering would likely prohibit it, I would think.
As for dissease resistance in the genetics we have now, I'm guessing there isn't much variation, though I could be wrong.

11/19/2005 1:48:34 PM

Pumpkintown, SC

How true, how true G.
I would be confident in saying, I'm sure there are a few among us who have started this lengthy process of one step back for 2 steps forward, BF

11/19/2005 2:35:40 PM

NEPA roller46@hotmail.com KB3QKV

I did not expect answers that were so informative. Thank you everyone. Tremor you have such knowledge thank you for sharing all that info with me. LI you are so right I agree 100% Snake oil I was wondering if anyone did. I guess there may be. Now Doug, buddy, I totally agree with everything that you are saying. Still another great reply but you said that it would result in smaller fruit sizes. Which would be true but, didn't Howard Dill et al, in the first years also start out with smaller pumpkins and Mr. Dill and all the others still worked through that, striving and they have created the phenomenom to what it is today. If the pumpkins were smaller I am sure that over the years we would have the size back to where it belongs. Maybe the size isn't the problem with the pumpkin, just in our hearts and minds that we want the biggest. But in the long run they would return in size. Just my humble opinion. That is what it is. opinion. Thanks guys.

11/19/2005 6:42:57 PM