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Clarence, NY

When selecting your seed genetics for the up in coming season do you select based on the lineage of the female or male side of the genetic family tree? Does one side dominate over the other?

1/24/2009 8:18:51 AM

Boise City, Oklahoma, USA

The seed you plant is the fruit you get this year, the cross you do to get the fruit, is the seed for next year.

It depends. Certain fruits get a rep for passing on certain traits and some seem to be better as the pollenator and others better as the mother. I select partly for if I want shape/color or percent heavy, and I look at what is where on both sides of the tree. Sometimes you can select by the grower, if they've put a few generatons of work into selecting.

One plus is a lot of the HH growers are on the chat at one time or another and will answer questions about their big ones, which can help you decide. :)

1/24/2009 9:46:22 AM

Rhode Island

ya gotta look at both. nothing wrong with planting an unproven seed.
my criteria would be that both parents of the seed stock were good pasr performers.

1/24/2009 9:47:58 AM

Pataskala,OH

If the seed is unproven you never can know unless someone plants it.

1/24/2009 12:54:14 PM

Webster, NY

I'm planning the 1081.5 Eaton. AGGC doesn't show that it's been planted much, but the cross is the 805 pukos X 842 Eaton. I would think the odds are pretty good for doing all right. However, in my hands.....

Dave

1/24/2009 2:08:11 PM

Ohio

I used to pick my seeds mostly by how the female of the cross did, but this year after talking with Quinn Werner and seeing what he has grown in past years it has changed my mind a great deal on growing a seed that had a great male pollinator that produced a huge pumpkin. Im going to give it a try and see what happens.

1/24/2009 6:17:32 PM

nOVA sCOTIA

Laboratory rats , beagles , horses, pumpkins etc. Always introduce the best Male you can find depending on what traits you are looking for.

1/24/2009 11:23:57 PM

Joliet, IL

if ya like what brooks is saying, here is a list 1 came up with for power on both sides for 2008 seeds.

http://www.bigpumpkins.com/MsgBoard/ViewThread.asp?b=19&p=281148

1/26/2009 2:21:10 PM

Joliet, IL

after re-reading again, i see what you are saying brooks. i will start looking in that direction as well.

1/26/2009 2:53:37 PM

Clarence, NY

Thanks all for the input - it looks like taking the approach shazzy shows in his thread on both sides might offer an interesting screening criteria. Time to go back to the seed stock and look at the potential marriages. That a good thing to do on a cold January evening...

1/26/2009 3:00:50 PM

Regan ND

you can breed a scabby lookin mare with nice stallion and get a good horse. But using a good mare with the same stallion will give you a better colt. I relize this is a apples to oranges comparison but I beleive there is some truth to it.

1/29/2009 11:11:00 PM

Rhode Island

remember as in life " its not the size of the seed that matters, its how you grow it " lol

1/30/2009 4:46:49 PM