Links to potato seedlings

[Tom Wagner]

Again a big thanks to Patrick to start off this topic. He shows some of my potato seedlings at a very tenuous stage of growth and pictures of the seed I gave him.

www.patnsteph.net/weblog/2010/03/big-projects-2010-garden/comment-page-1/#comment-55088

[edigrower]

Here's a link to a picture of the seedlings I got going so far.
All came up well except number 21 (which is a shame cos I like blue flesh potatoes!)
www.postimage.org/image.php?v=aV6o2jA

[DarJones]

I planted these in the garden today.

9 Dings X Early Phu
Cascade X Briana Bear
Blue Valley Gold
Skagit Beets
Nordic All X Starbird Colt
Boyd Toro X Montanosa

The plants are about 3 inches tall and I set them into soil so only an inch is showing.

DarJones

[PatrickW]

Hello everyone,

Here's the latest picture of my potato seedlings.



They are really variable! I guess that's to be expected. Notice how the one seedling on the bottom, second to the left, remains very small.

Tom: Is this because of general genetic variability, or is it because it didn't grow correctly immediately following germination? In other words, is this what you are referring to when you say my first picture shows some of my potato seedlings at a very tenuous stage of growth? Otherwise, can you explain in more specific terms what you originally meant?

[DarJones]

I have a row of potatoes in the garden about 110 feet long with half in Azul Toro and half in Russian Banana. Would be nice in a way if the two could cross.

Just curious tom, is Russian Banana 4n and is Azul Toro also 4n?

Thanks,

DarJones

[Tom Wagner]

Russian Banana Fingerling and Azul Toro could easily cross, but in my experience...human mediated intervention is almost a necessity. Azul Toro, after ten or more years of growing from tubers is increasingly not producing many berries, but it will produce more than Banana Fingerling. My guess is that if RBF has any berries without your intervention could be hybrids!

By the way, I don't have many tubers left of Azul Toro, what with the heavy deep freezing here last December and my cooperator allowing harvested tubers to freeze, I may ask you to keep some going. There had been interest in the past to perhaps certify the variety but that window is gone forever.

I have lots of crosses of Banana Fingerling. Some years ago I received the Alturas variety when it was still an Aberdeen number. I had some good OP and perhaps naturally crossed seed it that I called Ashley Judd, the name coming from Ashland and not Miss Judd herself. I had some RBF flowers crossed with Ashley Judd pollen and I had one clone I called Banana Ashley. I crossed Banana Ashley with Fremont Russet (CO 85026-4) and my best clone is called Banana Mountain. That family is remarkable with long russets with light yellow flesh that will bake, fry, and boil well. Somwhere I have that family crossed with blues.

I don't thinkj a fella would have to emasculate the RBF...just add the pollen from Azul Toro to the best flowers of RBF during the season.

[Tom Wagner]

Boyd Toro X Montanosa

The plants are about 3 inches tall and I set them into soil so only an inch is showing.

Boyd Toro has an interesting history going back to the B0169-56, BelRus, Russette type histories of some interesting seedlings tubes from Beltsville, Maryland...USDA breeding lines. One of the promising seedlings was crossed to a andigena species of tuberosum and I kept the B0 of the female number and y for the yellowish flesh of the Peruvian line. Thus Boyd...and the name Boyd would remind of the background of BelRus in the pedigree. The Boyd clone was crossed into some other red germplams that I cannot remember offhand, and that eventually crossed to my Kern Toro which iis also a parent of Azul Toro.

The Montanosa line is a potato clone that does well in hot humid climates in India and Indonesia. I hope this cross of Boyd Toro to it will give some great pink to red clones that do well in Alabama. Montonosa...is also known as: I-1035 and B7-240.2 named Montanosa and Dalisay

I have some great clones already out of Montanosa...so good luck.


Patrick wrote...

They are really variable! I guess that's to be expected. Notice how the one seedling on the bottom, second to the left, remains very small.

Tom: Is this because of general genetic variability, or is it because it didn't grow correctly immediately following germination? In other words, is this what you are referring to when you say my first picture shows some of my potato seedlings at a very tenuous stage of growth? Otherwise, can you explain in more specific terms what you originally meant?

Potato seed germinates at different times and later ones usually catch up but sometimes the vigor is reduced for a variety of reasons, genetic, seed size and moisture of the original seed, crowding, and many times the smaller seedling catches up eventually. Make a note of it and let me know later how it does...will it catch up...does it manifest dwarfing traits?

The Tenuous word.....first some definitions and linking those with seedlings..

Tenuous, slight, thin ,flimsy, weak, slender, not dense ,rare, not thick, having little substance or strength

TPS is new to most....here are some notes...

Noviceness at growing them from seed and partly from the cloudy, rainy weather

Another dangerous factor is the cold in winter. The longer the low temperature lasts, the more the tenuous seedlings will die (damping off going on)

concerning the relative importance of seed versus clonal growth are tenuous because the number of seeds and seedlings may not reflect the true nature of the seed's potential...

.....the prediction of a seed lot's field establishment based on only one measure of seed quality is tenuous.

Seed moisture content should be between 6 and 8%. If the seed are either too dry (0 5%) or too moist (over 10%) their vigor will be decreased.

the passage from phase I to III was very tenuous relating to phase I being germination ..II being the early growth and III being the stage up to the first transplanting

For some of us novice and not-so-novice gardeners, seed-starting can be a tenuous pleasure.

[PatrickW]

Apr 15, 2010 0:32:54 GMT -8 Tom Wagner said:

Potato seed germinates at different times and later ones usually catch up but sometimes the vigor is reduced for a variety of reasons, genetic, seed size and moisture of the original seed, crowding, and many times the smaller seedling catches up eventually. Make a note of it and let me know later how it does...will it catch up...does it manifest dwarfing traits?

Hi Tom,

You wanted to know what happened with the small seedling.

It's still not planted out, and it's about double the size it was in the picture, in other words still very small.

I need your advice in general. We've had unusually cold weather here that's delayed everything. I'm just now hardening off the potato seedlings and about to plant them out. They are really overgrowing their containers, I should have potted them up but didn't have a chance. Some are blooming in their tiny pots. Next time I'll start with larger pots...

Do you have any general advice? Should I discard the ones blooming, or still plant them out?

Also, as far as the tubers you gave me go, some certainly seem to have not made it. There's still a small chance some might emerge late, but I don't think so. I would say more than half made it and seem to be doing well. Next time I'll know to start them in pots in a greenhouse. I didn't know that trick before.

Hopefully I can trade with some others you gave tubers to, and between us replace some of the ones I lost.

[Tom Wagner]

Thanks Patrick for the update.

The small seedling in the photo above or www.patnsteph.net/weblog/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/tps_seedlings.jpg not growing so much means that some trait is involved or a bad combining ability ....seedlings should be selected for strong vigor obviously in any crop and potato seedlings are no exception.

The TPS was sown a bit too early if you have some blooming....but even those may re-root and grow some more...but if they don't grow into full sized plants ...there may be enough tubers for a regrow next season or in a greenhouse out of season.

I, too, have had cool weather hear down in the low to mid 40's and here in the Seattle area is only 55F and near 2 in the afternoon. So potato TPS could have been sown mid April instead of mid March... I have several hundred out in the ground and lots waiting for time and soil conditions to plant out the rest.