Setting up a science experiment

aninocentangel · June 11, 2009

My daughter (7) really wanted to grow Berkley Tie-dye this year, but I couldn't find seed, so she's decided to try and make her own tie-dyed tomato. I don't have a problem with a little hybridization experiment for the summer, so I agreed. She looked at the tomatoes that I'm growing at the moment and has selected Hillbilly (rl) and either Japanese Black Trifele (pl) or Cherokee Purple (rl, not Spudakee).
We've been looking at some of the links on how to emasculate flowers, and some of the genetic links (mainly I translate them into little girl-ese for her) and have been enjoying it quite a bit. I'd like to have her use JBT as the mother, because it's potato leaf so it will be easier to see if the cross took during the grow out, but she less inclined because she wants a big slicer and thinks a JBT cross will make small tomatoes. She also feels that she'll get her tie-dyed tomato within the f1, whereas I think she'll get a plain red rl tomato and will have to go to an f2 or beyond to maybe find what she hopes for. We're planning a small, quick grow out in little pots this summer to have a look see at what we get. My teenager is referring to it as tomato torture lol.

Which tomato would you suggest as the mother, the CP or JBT? If she chooses the CP, is there another way to tell, before fruiting, that the cross took?
And, what do you think the F1 will look like?
Is there any other advice you have for us?
Thanks

June 11, 2009	#1
aninocentangel Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: 8a Coastal SC Posts: 251	Setting up a science experiment My daughter (7) really wanted to grow Berkley Tie-dye this year, but I couldn't find seed, so she's decided to try and make her own tie-dyed tomato. I don't have a problem with a little hybridization experiment for the summer, so I agreed. She looked at the tomatoes that I'm growing at the moment and has selected Hillbilly (rl) and either Japanese Black Trifele (pl) or Cherokee Purple (rl, not Spudakee). We've been looking at some of the links on how to emasculate flowers, and some of the genetic links (mainly I translate them into little girl-ese for her) and have been enjoying it quite a bit. I'd like to have her use JBT as the mother, because it's potato leaf so it will be easier to see if the cross took during the grow out, but she less inclined because she wants a big slicer and thinks a JBT cross will make small tomatoes. She also feels that she'll get her tie-dyed tomato within the f1, whereas I think she'll get a plain red rl tomato and will have to go to an f2 or beyond to maybe find what she hopes for. We're planning a small, quick grow out in little pots this summer to have a look see at what we get. My teenager is referring to it as tomato torture lol. Which tomato would you suggest as the mother, the CP or JBT? If she chooses the CP, is there another way to tell, before fruiting, that the cross took? And, what do you think the F1 will look like? Is there any other advice you have for us? Thanks