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President - GPC

What are the experiences of "selfing" for next years genetics on pumpkins. I have selfed my Reiss 1233.5 to produce continued genetics.......Will it be the same or semi close or nowhere who knows close?

8/10/2006 4:25:37 PM

Minnesota(dw447@fastmail.fm)

As an example, if you look at the color of the progeny off the 603.5 Muller, they have awesome color, like the parent. It may be a good way to isolate color. The 1233.5, like most pumpkins will likely produce pumpkins that vary in the shade of orange(although most should have a very nice color, based on the parents IMHO). The seeds from your 1233.5, may produce progeny with a similar color to the parent. I don't know if there have been enough progeny grown from selfed seeds, to say anything for sure though.

8/10/2006 5:25:10 PM

Pocatello (cliffwarren@yahoo.com)

Generally I've believed in theory that selfed lines should do fairly well and also follow the traits of the parent. My experience with selfed seeds has been less that stellar, however. Just bad luck? I don't know.

8/11/2006 4:50:25 PM

Arroyo Grande, CA,USA

Interesting. Last year we selfed an 1179Kline and grew our 575Cavanaugh. This year we planted two of the 575Cavanaugh (1179Kline selfed) plants. The plants and pumpkins on each are markedly different than the other. One plant has large yellow vines,huge leaves and the pumpkins are pear-shaped and sloping with a mottled orange color(these pumpkins look more like the 575Cavanaugh pumpkin that we grew last year). The other plant has large green vines w/huge leaves and the pumpkins are more oval shaped and also the mottled orange color. Not sure where the different characteristics come from in the genetics but they seem to really do well in our sunny CA weather. These are some of our best growing pumpkins so far.

8/25/2006 11:13:41 PM