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Minnesota(dw447@fastmail.fm)

Let's say you like orange, tall rounded pumpkins(most of us do, I would guess). There are many seeds out there that will pretty consistantly give us nice, orange color. Consistantly good shape seems to be very elusive, in most cases.
Here's a selection possibility I've been thinking over.
Lets say you have seed that you really like the color of, but it's known to produce a wide variation of shapes, from long and flat, to tall and round. You want to select a strain of it that consistantly produces tall round pumpkins. I'm wondering if maybe selfing five fruits on each of two or three plants, and selecting the two best shaped fruits for their seed. Then take this seed from these good shaped pumpkins, and do the same thing with a few plants. Do you think this would be a method that would work?
Do you find that selfed fruits, tend to produce progeny that resemble the shape of the selfed fruit? I've notice that Ned's 689.5(869.5 Calai selfed) was a short, tall, round fruit. An off spring of it, on his diary, is tall, short, and round.
I've seen two offspring of the 603 Muller(845 Nesbitt selfed), and they are very similar in shape to the the 603 Muller.
Can you think of examples that would support or refute this thinking? For instance, are the pumpkins grown on the 735 Pukos(846 Calai selfed) pretty consistant in shape(or are they more consistant in shape than the 846 Calai fruits?).
I'd like to hear your thoughts on this, or anything that might work in breeding/selecting for shape.

Doug

10/24/2004 9:18:25 PM

ENGLAND

VERY interesting Thread/Subject, i have been thinking of the same myself. Hope there are lots of replies from our Very genetically minded fellow BP Members.

10/25/2004 8:55:05 AM

Menomonie, WI (mail@gr8pumpkin.net)

I have never had luck at guessing the shape of fruit. I have had 5 foot long brilliant orange torpedo's. I have had giant cinderella type as I did this year. Then again I have had long and orange and perfect shaped on the same plant as with the 808 Beachy this year. Although I must say I normally plant orange and pretty and breed them that way.

10/25/2004 9:15:51 AM

In the shade - PDX, OR

Doug - Have grown the 735 Pukos twice.

The first year I had a nice tall wheel - bad for splits.
This year I had a very nice barrel shaped fruit.

no rhyme or reason on the shape. Due to genetic variation I think this is still a crap shoot one way or the other.

Jeff, Joe, others... care to make a comment on your 735 fruit shape?

10/25/2004 1:30:00 PM

Utah

I think most 735 fruit are heart shaped. Big shoulders that tapper off to a smaller blossom end.

Casey and Scott also grew the 735. I think all the fruit were similar in shape. Not exact but similar... especially when they were smaller.

Here is a picture of mine:
http://www.bigpumpkins.com/Diary/DiaryViewOne.asp?eid=29257

There are some seeds (very few I believe) that seem to be very consistant... most others have more variation in them.
aren't most 845 fruit- low, with smaller shoulders- yet wide in middle and long?
a case for doing more self crosses if you ask me.

10/25/2004 3:50:03 PM