Quote:
Originally Posted by joseph
Loulac:
Thanks. I'm a subsistence level farmer. If a plant succumbs to disease this year, I may starve next year. Therefore, if a plant is susceptible to mosaic or other diseases this year, it's not welcome on my farm next year. I would make an exception if all 300 plants were sick or dying, but as long as some thrive while others die, I will continue to save seeds only from the healthiest plants. I cull plants/families for being susceptible to Colorado potato beetles, blossom end rot, sudden-death-syndrome, etc... I cull for being too long season, for taste, etc. I'm generating hundreds of new varieties per year. I don't care about giving tomato varieties a second chance. If I'm going to grow a tomato, it has to produce fantastically every year.
I don't try to memorize the names and symptoms of plant pests and diseases. If a plant dies prematurely, (without sufficient productivity), then I don't replant seeds from it. I don't have the inclination to be staring at tomato plants trying to identify whether a brown spot on a leaf is a virus, bacteria, fungus, or bug bite. I look at the big picture: Did it produce sufficient food to give me a decent return on my investment? Yes, save seed for next year. No. Cull it.
It is very arid here. Moisture loving diseases don't propagate or grow very well.
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(Did it produce sufficient food to give me a decent return on my investment? Yes, save seed for next year. No. Cull it.)
The above is to me the most important phrase in your post, as in it's all about you and your own livlihood,also discussed below..Now let me go back to some of your other comments.
You speak of Colorado Potato Beetles, but they are equal opportunity pests and have no specific attachment sites on the plants,they appear wherever the moths lay their eggs.OK
BER. No one has completely solved the BER problem and it's a multi billion $ problem for the commercial tomato industry, let alone a problem for home growers..If you have plants that NEVER get BER wouldn't it be helpful to save seeds from those and send them somewhere where they could look into the genetics?
Sudden death.That can be due to many things via pests,weather,environmental issues,diseases,and so much more,so again,I can't comment on that.
Foliage Diseases.Maybe that was part of your etc.remark, but worldwide foliage diseases are THE most common tomato diseases. We still don't have varieties that are consistently tolerantof Early Blight (Alternaria solani)or Septoria Leaf Spot. Nor the two most common bacterial ones of Bacterial Spot and Bacterial Speck
So if you have plants and their offspring that are consistently tolerant to to those diseases,from saved seeds,I would think you could make a major contribution saving seeds for those as well.
Soilborne diseases? I don't know which ones you might have, but same issues as above to possible tolerant ones.
But instead your comment
(I don't try to memorize the names and symptoms of plant pests and diseases. If a plant dies prematurely, (without sufficient productivity), then I don't replant seeds from it. I don't have the inclination to be staring at tomato plants trying to identify whether a brown spot on a leaf is a virus, bacteria, fungus, or bug bite. I look at the big picture: Did it produce sufficient food to give me a decent return on my investment? Yes, save seed for next year. No. Cull it.)
Indicates you don't want to be concerned with diseases and whether due to viruses or viroids or bacteria or fungi/
.
I do understand why you said it was all about you and making a living, I do understand why you feel you have no time to do that,but I also know that in many of your crosses you are using LA accessions. I also know you have saved certain seeds and shared them,maybe for cold tolerance and possibly to Darrel?
Finally, IMO I also think you could make some wonderful contributions for everyone , commercial and home growers alike.
Please give it at least a little bit of thought and maybe set some priorities as categories discussed above?
Carolyn