How to de-hybridize?
 

Last year I recieved in trade a tomato I thought was an OP variety. I admit, I never even googled it, just planted it. And fell in love with it as a sauce tomato. So, I saved the seeds. THEN I discovered it was a hybrid. Big Mama Paste. Now I want to try growing out the F2s and see if I can eventually de-hybridize it, but I dont even know where to begin. Any advice on where to look for info, or where to start?

Thanks in advance

Angela

Angela, there is a fellow I used to trade seeds with up in Massachusetts who selected the best examples from Big Mama over several years and was very happy with his results after about the F4 or F5 if I remember right. He didn't have a big garden and just made do the best he could growing a few plants each year but saving the better examples. I may have some of his F3 seeds from about 2006 or 2007. Never grew them because I found an excellent extra large, pepper shaped paste from Peters Seed and it was already open pollinated. Best you can do is just give it a try.

Just like you said Angela, grow out the F2's, several if possible and select the best one and repeat the process every year till the F5/F6 and by then it should be pretty much stabilized. Burpee's BrandyBoy is one that comes to mind as being de-hybridized and now is at the F6/F7 stage.
Or if your into paste types you can give Ludmilla's Red Plum or Ceman a shot. Ami

You sent me both of those, Ami, and they are on my growout list. Just kinda wanting to play with the Big Mama F2 seeds I have, and was wondering how I do it. I'll grow a few of them, and go from there. Thanks!

Here's an excellent website that tells you how to dehybridize( make selections) and describes what's called gene segregation in that process and tells you roughly how long it will take to get to the OP state.

I've sent a lot of folks there to learn how to hybridize, dehybridize, etc, and there's a lso lots of useful links.

The author and owner of the website is someone that many of us know.

[URL]http://www.kdcomm.net/~tomato/[/URL]

Thanks Carolyn!

[QUOTE=carolyn137;152586]Here's an excellent website that tells you how to dehybridize( make selections) and describes what's called gene segregation in that process and tells you roughly how long it will take to get to the OP state.

I've sent a lot of folks there to learn how to hybridize, dehybridize, etc, and there's a lso lots of useful links.

The author and owner of the website is someone that many of us know.

[URL]http://www.kdcomm.net/~tomato/[/URL][/QUOTE]

I know this is a really old post but I found it very useful and thought others new to the concept might as well. I am wanting to try a few crosses of my own.