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Bemidji Minnesota

HI all,

I have noticed that the AG's tend to have rounder taller shapes more often than they used to.

After looking through older diaries and contests, and seeing old pictures from seed catalogues, and images on the net that are 10 years old, some even older, and it seemed back then the flat ones, pancakes, used to be more common.

Now I know that all the measurments have been going up over the years, and so has the thickness of the Pumpkins. I suspect that the SS and EE has gone up more compared to the CC however.

Has anyone else noticed the rounder taller shapes becoming more common?

12/24/2009 1:53:11 PM

I think you are correct.

Simply one of the traits most growers are striving for when making crosses I think, seems to be working out pretty well. Bigger fruit require the better shape to support themselves imo.

12/24/2009 2:01:42 PM

[email protected]

Ditto.

12/24/2009 2:42:45 PM

Pocatello ([email protected])

I also think we are seeing fewer sag lines.

On the other hand, I seem to be getting rounder over the years...

12/24/2009 5:23:41 PM

Ohio

http://www.bigpumpkins.com/Diary/DiaryViewOne.asp?eid=98491

You mean like that one Meathead? I like that shape alot.

12/24/2009 5:26:53 PM

Taylorsville, California

lol Cliff, you aren't the only one!

12/24/2009 5:56:58 PM

Anamosa, IA [email protected]

I'm getting rounder AND I'm getting sag lines.

12/24/2009 6:12:37 PM

Bemidji Minnesota

Yeah Brooks, that's a good example,that looks like nice round shape.

Brooks, you have pics of the 1317 Rose in your photo album too, that one looked very round, a sphere with ribs.

There are a lot of other round ones been grown too. Even the ones that seem to not be quite a sphere are still higher shaped, plenty enough to be called round.

Color still varies a lot, and likley always will, but these days the pancakes are seem to be the exception, no longer the rule.

12/24/2009 8:07:51 PM

British Columbia, Canada

I belive the roundish, orange coloured pumpkins first came from the 567.5 Mombert.
Plus, almost every 'hit' seed has the 567.5 somewere in its' family tree.

-Jordan.

12/24/2009 10:53:54 PM

Sequim, WA

The 567.5 plays a part in the orange color with a lot of the current genetics, but a lot of people forget the 827 Holland had pretty good color too and is also a big part of the family tree if you go back enough generations. As for the shape, I got to see a lot of progeny from the 567.5 at many of the weighoffs in the Pacific Northwest and the shape of the fruit ranged from big orange balls to big orange cowflops. It did not seem to be very consistant at producing a good shape.

12/28/2009 12:08:51 AM

Eastern Washington State

It seems to me that growers have made vast improvements in cultivation practices as well as genetics. Have we been altering the shape (genetics) to compensate for new growing practices?

What happens when the pumpkins don't reach their potential, say in the neighborhood of 250 lbs? Would a pumpkin that looks round at 1200 lbs look 'long' at 200 lbs? And say one that looks like a pancake at 1200 look 'round' at 200?

Does anyone out there have an opinion, or better yet experience with competition/genetic patches to say yes or no to the above situation?

12/28/2009 7:11:11 PM