Squash breeding project

[Stvrob]

Thanks guys.

[jmsieglaff]

Ah the fun part of the project!!! The F2 stage! I've got 4 LemonxTatume F2 plants going and will be starting 4 more in cow pots to plant after the sugar snap peas are done. Images below: F2W1: Slight mottling on leaves. F2W2: Plain leaves. F2W3: Significant mottling on leaves. F2W4: Similar to F2W2, perhaps smaller leaves, but could catch up. I'll continue to post differences and similarities as the season progresses. Interesting point, neither parent has mottled leaves, so is there something in the genetics of one of the parents that is not expressed outward, but does so in the F2 segregation?

[jmsieglaff]

Things are growing quickly! All plants have tiny flower buds forming at the bases of the plants. Differences in leaf type remain unchanged. Habit looks similar still in all of them, although F2W2 is developing tendrils already, while the others haven't yet.

[Stvrob]

Starting to get very humid here. Threatens to storm most every day, even though the actual amount of rain isn't very great. (Except for a tropical storm that dropped 8" 2 weeks ago) I'm still waiting to self my F2, it keeps aborting fruit before the flowers even open! I should have selfed it weeks ago I guess.

[jmsieglaff]

Good luck with the humidity Steve!

Monty good to know about the SVB. Hopefully I hit the genetic flavor lottery in one of my plants.

[jmsieglaff]

Good luck with the next crop Monty! I'm seeing some habit differences in my 4, I'll comment more another day--it's wet out from a small amount of rain we got but could have used a lot more. I've also got 4 others started to go into their spots when the peas are pulled this weekend.

[jmsieglaff]

Plant F2W1 is ready to open its first female and male flowers on the same day tomorrow. Plant F2W2 is a few days behind and is the longest. F2W3 is climbing too but no females in sight. Plant F2W4 is the shortest and no flowers yet either. Both F2W1,2 look to have yellow fruit with green stems.

[jmsieglaff]

Exciting times growing an F2! Looks like F2W3 will be a green squash. The mottling on its leaves still exists on the early leaves but has grown out of that for now on new growth.

[jmsieglaff]

Tasted this squash from F2W1 tonight. Simple prep olive oil salt and pepper into disks, grilled medium-high for about 4-5 min a side. The flavor was quite good much like the F1. The color is clearly yellow, some minor Tatume like stripes, green fruit bottom and green stem. The plant is starting to branch heavily and I can see females at the little branch growth tips. Given the earliness, vigor, production and flavor this is a line I will likely follow. F2W2 is pretty much a clone of F2W1, the plant is a bit taller and the first fruit will be ready to sample in just a couple days. F2W3 is the green squash that will have the first female open in the next few days. F2W4 is smaller and still has yet to make a female flower (no open flowers at all yet). I'll let it produce and sample the flavor but at this point it is a candidate for culling. I've got 4 more putting on their second set of true leaves.

[jmsieglaff]

Monty, the shapes are an interesting thing aren't they? My F1s were largely pear shaped, this is definitely a bit different. With the numbers of F2s you've started I'll be curious if you get any different shapes/colors. Both my yellows have green stems, to this point I think yours and Steve's have been light colored stems? Keep posting your results when you have time! Good luck with getting the flavor you like with your LTLF2 plants too!

[jmsieglaff]

I'm thankful my only thunderstorm casualty was my F2W3 first female blossom. The vine must have blown around in the wind and the baby squash/flower broke off. I've got F2W1 taped and ready to self tomorrow morning.

[jmsieglaff]

Sounds good Brent! I'll be curious if you get any variation in your LTF2 starts. My green F2 has another female after the first broke off in a storm. It won't open for a few days though. F2W4 is still lacking a female. I don't know why I haven't culled it yet, I guess I just want to see what it produces. One of the F2E plants (later starts) has mottled foliage. F2W3 (the green one) mottled foliage while seemingly was less for a bit is still quite evident.

[jmsieglaff]

Thanks for the update Brent! I've got lots of variety as well. We're eating more yellow from W1 and W2 and trying the first green one from W3 tonight.

[jmsieglaff]

The finished product. Went with breadcrumbs and Parmesan roasted in the oven. I don't think I will follow the green one. The yellow had better flavor, was a week earlier and is more aggressively branching and producing female flowers.

[jmsieglaff]

I'll do two posts, this just shows the F2W1-4 plants from afar. And also the newer F2E1-4 plants. The F2W1-4, go F2W1 on the right to F2W4 on the left. F2W1 (as in seen in pictures) is the one I'm advancing. F2W1 and F2W2 are similar, except F2W1 has less green bottom (which I don't mind the green bottom, they look like Green Bay Packer squash), isn't quite as vigorous of a viner, but branches more and is producing more female flowers more often. I'll show the F2W1 habit in more detail in my second post. In a tasting the F2W1 may have had slightly better flavor, but overall they were similar. F2W3 is the green squash, which I'll let produce and eat but won't save seed either. F2W4 is yellow and is only now just opening it's first female flower--about 4 weeks behind F2W1 and F2W2. We'll let it grow and taste it but the lack of production and lateness alone make it unlikely to want to advance. It will be interesting if the mottled leaved F2E4 plant is also green fruited like F2W3.