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Corbin, KY

Where will it come from? How will we get it? What's the answers?

Grafting?
Breeding?
Luck?

I really think as long as we keep growing selfed plants the only way we will get a New World record will be luck. Melons and pumpkins started getting bigger when they started crossing biggest to biggest. I think tomato growers must start a breeding program and start doing some crossing if a new record is reached. Yes we must learn how, keep good records and make new hybrids. With no change I think luck is the best we can do. What is your opinion?

3/7/2014 11:56:02 AM

Allentown, PA

Hi Tim,

It is my belief that first prior to cross breeding different giant strains one must first stabilize the seed lines that would go into the cross.

For example large tomatoes from newer seed lines from last season will need to stabilize before they will display the traits that would be extremely desirable like consistent megabloom development.

The seed lines that are already stabilized like Harp, Meisner, Boudyo and Osmala should be crossed then stabilized by growing them out for five or more seasons.

It is also very possible under the correct conditions like proper pruning techniques, ongoing fertilizing and correct soil balance to obtain very large if not record setting weights based on using the seed we currently have at our disposal based on those seed lines ability to give us a strong, healthy plant and good megabloom development.

With more people growing more plants that are producing more seeds the advancement of tomato weights and size is inevitable.

3/7/2014 4:48:55 PM

Going Green

Tim...new ideas and methods are turning up daily. I concur with PA_J that we must apply what we are learning to those lines which have been stabilized.

Doing the right things at the right time is so vital to success in growing a giant tomato.

We also have more growers growing more tomatoes each year. And that is important to further developments.

Luck has been a major factor in previous successes all the way back to Gordon Grahams 56 foot long vine which fell over in a storm so he quit fertilzing it with nitrogen and the result is a mega bloom which grew the WORLD RECORD
7 pound 12 ounce tomato on his vine which he did not discover the tomato for weeks.

And most important is using Turbo Tomato.

3/8/2014 11:01:17 PM

N.c.

Well, building on Uncle Dunkel's and PA_J's thought: Those in the know could pick out some seed lines and most everyone should have one or more of these seeds anyway. If you only have one of the seeds you would carefully self it or sib it. If you have the seeds to cross within the chosen genetic lines you cross or sib or self. This fall the seeds from the largest tomatoes grown would be distributed with top growers getting first pick. We growers who are not top tier will still be getting great genetics. Then next year and so on you would cross the distributed seed with your very best tomato of the genetic line from the previous years effort.

3/9/2014 9:11:16 PM

Bloomington, IN USA

I don't think you are going to improve your top weight with just crossing BZ lines.
Face it, there is not much genetic diversity amongst the Harp, Meisner, Boudyo & Osmala lines, Julia.
So where is your improvement going to come from?
We have to combine the genes that produce megablooms & gigantic fruit from other varieties with the BZ lines.
As we all know, within domestic tomatoes there is very little genetic diversity.
That has been somewhat improved with introgression of genes from wild tomato relatives, such as for disease resistance.
Unfortunately, all of the wild tomato relatives fruits are smaller than tomatoes.
But we may be able to obtain greater vigor of the plants themselves by introgressing wild genes.
That would require a huge growout to retain the important giant genes & combine with the vigor from the wild relatives.
That could most likely be accomplished by a breeding company or university.
Or if more genetic markers become available, it might not require as large a growout.

3/10/2014 10:02:23 PM

Allentown, PA

Materdoc,

The key is to first stabilize traits that are preferred in those lines such as frequent and massive megabloom development as well as strong a vigorous root development.

It is somewhat rare that we see both frequent megabloom development and strong massive rooting capability in the same line.

It appears that most Big Zac lines have normal root development but greater than average megabloom development.

I have also noticed less megabloom development but larger root systems on Mega Marv plants.

Also during germination I noticed that the Mega Marv seedlings grew notably faster with thicker stems than the Big Zac with everything being equal concerning my growing medium, lighting, heat, etc.

If we say what I have observed is true concerning the majority of Big Zac plants and Mega Marv plants and then we cross these two lines and stabilize them we should see both frequent megabloom development as well as a strong and vigorous root system.

We then combine these crossed seeds with new and or improved growing techniques I see the average weights increasing.

3/11/2014 8:07:13 AM

Corbin, KY

I feel a couple forks of the Big Zac lines are out to F7 and maybe F8. I feel these have been grown and seeds selected for size long enough they are stabilized. My thinking is a cross between Big Zac some of the heirloom giants to make a Hybrid. This F1 hybrid might be the ticket who knows. Hybrid vigor might be all it takes. A person could always graft for a more vigorous rootstock.
But we don't know what effect this will have in the production of mega blooms.

3/11/2014 10:26:44 AM

Orange Patch

my one experience with my graft had adequate megablooms

3/11/2014 10:39:46 AM