OSU Blue observations

[goodwin]

Here is OSU from my garden last summer. The fruit is a little better than 2 inches in diameter, and the plants produced well through the season. The flavor was very good - full and slightly sharp.

[stormymater]

Those are just the craziest looking tomatoes! As Boris the parrot says," Want it!!" You folks are amazing.

[lefty_logan]

Tom,

Have you crossed Verde Claro with P20?

[Tom Wagner]

Yes I have descendants of Verde Claro crossed to P-20 and I will be looking at the recombinants this summer.

Tom Wagner

[Ambiorix]

I sowed 12 seeds of blue tomatoes OSU 12 december.
I have planted 9 plantations on 31january. I kept plantations inside on an electric propagator.
On 7 februari, I planted plantations in greenhouse in a cage frigolite on a heating carpet enlightened by red and blue leds.
It made very cold outside but plantations resisted.
13/03, I placed 4 plantations in the greenhouse on the table and they underwent the cold during a week (minimum 2 - 5 °C at night, 15 °c in the daytime).
The blue color appeared on stalks and nervures.
Here is the bottom of the leaves of this 8 cm plantation

[goodwin]

Yes, the difference in color of the seedlings is striking. In this tray you can see some of the young blues in a mix of other varieties. The nighttime temperatures here have been close to what Ambiorix recorded, though it gets a bit warmer in my greenhouse during the day.

[goodwin]

Here is an interesting variation I'm growing now - speckled with blue. It will be fun to follow all the crosses people are working on.
Lee

[333.okh]

I have some OSU Blue seeds that a friend is growing out in a much hotter climate so we can add to out seeds. Does not hurt he is an OSU Grad.

However, I would actually really like to see seeds in my hands from the "Black Sun" Tomatoes from Italy!



http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CTSOS/message/6343

[frogsleap farm]

interesting Goodwin - is this a cross or straight OSU Blue? The fruit shape is also a little uncharacteristic.

Originally Posted by goodwin

Here is an interesting variation I'm growing now - speckled with blue. It will be fun to follow all the crosses people are working on.
Lee

[goodwin]

frogsleap- I honestly don't know - it might be an accidental cross. I know what you mean about the shape. The only speckled tomato I grew last year were these Sophie's Choice.

[Vince]

Amazing-can't wait to get ahold of some of those blue seed!

[frogsleap farm]

I think that the speckled tomato is Scabitha from WBF, not Sophies Choice, an early red. Scabithat has the gold fleck trait (Gf) and is pretty distinct. The specks show up as dark green spots on a lighter green unripe fruit, then turn to yellow freckles on red fruit. The nipples on your photo are uncharacteristic of Scabiitha or P20 though.

Originally Posted by goodwin

frogsleap- I honestly don't know - it might be an accidental cross. I know what you mean about the shape. The only speckled tomato I grew last year were these Sophie's Choice.

[carolyn137]

Originally Posted by frogsleap farm

I think that the speckled tomato is Scabitha from WBF, not Sophies Choice, an early red. Scabithat has the gold fleck trait (Gf) and is pretty distinct. The specks show up as dark green spots on a lighter green unripe fruit, then turn to yellow freckles on red fruit. The nipples on your photo are uncharacteristic of Scabiitha or P20 though.

Agree with Frogsleap that what you show is gold flecking which can be seen with several varieties, one is Depp's Pink Firefly. Gold flecking is partially genetic and partially not known, to date.

Goodwin, were you growing Scabitha? Or are you sure those are Sophie's Choice? I can't tell from the size, but the shape isn't quite right and I was the person who introduced Sophie many years ago and I've never seen gold fleck on it.

[goodwin]

hi Carolyn -
No, I haven't grown Scabitha. This seed came from TF last year labeled Sophie's Choice. Two of the eight plants showed the trait. The plant habit was identical, and the fruit was similar in shape, perhaps slightly smaller. I planted seed from those this winter and all ten are flecked to some degree. The fruit is just beginning to ripen. Frogsleap describes the sequence of ripening precisely. The skin on Scabitha looks different in photos I've seen - more mottled and rough. So it's a mystery. I'd figured a chance mutation, but it could very well be some stray or crossed seed.
Lee

[carolyn137]

Originally Posted by goodwin

hi Carolyn -
No, I haven't grown Scabitha. This seed came from TF last year labeled Sophie's Choice. Two of the eight plants showed the trait. The plant habit was identical, and the fruit was similar in shape, perhaps slightly smaller. I planted seed from those this winter and all ten are flecked to some degree. The fruit is just beginning to ripen. Frogsleap describes the sequence of ripening precisely. The skin on Scabitha looks different in photos I've seen - more mottled and rough. So it's a mystery. I'd figured a chance mutation, but it could very well be some stray or crossed seed.
Lee

http://www.google.com/images?hl=en&g...tart=0&ndsp=18

Lee, above is a Google Images link to pictures of Sophie's Choice. It's beefsteak shaped, not round and correct pictures are shown from Southern Exposure Seed Exchange, Garden Medicinals ( Jeff McCormack who owned SESE), Underwood Gardens and the several pictures from Garden web.

What did not look correct was the picture from heirloom tomato plants and since I know that Laurel and Gary at TF are business partners I then looked at the TF picture and it's the same one as at Laurels site.

Based on the shape of the fruits I have some doubts about it being Sophie's Choice. I didn't review all the tomato varieties at both websites to see if either Laural or Gary was offering Scabitha OR Depp's Pink Firefly, so maybe if you have time you could check that which might explain where the gold flecking you saw could have come from as in possible crossed seeds.

Since I introduced Sophie's Choice in the SSE YEarbook sometime I think in the mid 90's I've never seen a picture of it with gold flecking anywhere, have never seen anyone who relisted it in the Yearbook speak to that and have never seen goldflecking on it when I grew it. And since it is genetic in nature, those varieties that have that flecking, such as Depp's Pink Firefly, I don't know Scabitha, continue to show it with saved seeds.

Ah well, don't you love mysteries.

And one question. Are all the spots on that lemon shaped OSU purple? I can't tell that from your picture. It looks more to me like a possible infection with perhaps Bacterial Spot but I guess you'd know that based on the other symptoms of Bacterial Spot that would have been seen.