An interesting Zogola cross?

[Tania]

Look at what I found in my small patch of Zogola plants this year (seeds from Sandhill 2005 via Jeanne) - does it look like a crossed Zogola? I think it does

I have never seen a tomato with such an interesting pear shape! I wonder how stable it is - I am growing it again in 2010.

Tania

[paprika]

Hey Tania,
My, but those are indeed an interesting pear shape! I hope they grow out the same for you again. And how was the taste?

TimothyT

[carolyn137]

Originally Posted by Tania

Look at what I found in my small patch of Zogola plants this year (seeds from Sandhill 2005 via Jeanne) - does it look like a crossed Zogola? I think it does

I have never seen a tomato with such an interesting pear shape! I wonder how stable it is - I am growing it again in 2010.

Tania

It sure looks like a cross to me. How many plants did you have out and how many gave you fruits of that shape?

Looks like pseudo pear with an attitude.

[Tania]

Carolyn,

I had 5 Zogola plants growing, one of which produced medium red beefsteaks that I discarded, and one plant produced the pseudo-pears. Both offtypes were earlier than the remaining plants with more 'typical' Zogola fruits.

Timothy,

the taste was good, but not as good as Zogola.

Tania

[carolyn137]

Originally Posted by Tania

Carolyn,

I had 5 Zogola plants growing, one of which produced medium red beefsteaks that I discarded, and one plant produced the pseudo-pears. Both offtypes were earlier than the remaining plants with more 'typical' Zogola fruits.

Timothy,

the taste was good, but not as good as Zogola.

Tania

Tania, why did you discard the red beefsteak for that is the shape of Zogola. Or are you saying you've grown Zogola from some other source that you thought truly represented Zogola and the plant with red beefsteaks was different.

Of course you know I'm interested since I got the seeds from Joe Bratka in 1992 and first listed it in the 1993 SSE Yearbook and have grown it several times since then.

[Tania]

Originally Posted by carolyn137

Tania, why did you discard the red beefsteak for that is the shape of Zogola. Or are you saying you've grown Zogola from some other source that you thought truly represented Zogola and the plant with red beefsteaks was different.

Of course you know I'm interested since I got the seeds from Joe Bratka in 1992 and first listed it in the 1993 SSE Yearbook and have grown it several times since then.

Oops, I think I did not make myself very clear, did I?

3 out of the 5 plants were what I thought 'true Zogola' (=red, flattened beefsteak about 12+ oz). 1 plant had smaller smooth globes, 5-8 oz (the one I discarded). 1 plant produced that pear-shaped wonder.

[nctomatoman]

Hey folks - I've seen a tomato of that shape here and there - some farmers at the Carrboro NC farmers market grow it, and I think that Johnny's may offer something similar - it is an Italian tomato, I believe (I am at work and not fact checking...just tossing out thoughts).

My feeling is that a single seed mix up is as likely as a cross; I would be surprised of that fruit shape would emerge as the F1 of a cross; if crossing were involved, you would be looking at F2 or beyond with that fruit type. The other more remote possibility is a mutation.

Of course, the way forward would be to save seeds and grow out half dozen or so. If they are all the same, you have either a different, stable variety (something that got in to the Zogola seed), or a mutation that came true.

[Tania]

Craig,

I was thinking it was a stray seed, but given the fact I have got two 'off-type' plants out of 5, and I also could not find a variety with similar shape in Sandhill's 2005 catalog... I don't know... I may be an F2.

I'd think mutation would be highly unlikely in this situation.

Tania

[nctomatoman]

This is the one I was thinking about - Red Pear Piriform

http://www.johnnyseeds.com/catalog/p...=658&item=2766

[Tania]

Originally Posted by nctomatoman

This is the one I was thinking about - Red Pear Piriform

http://www.johnnyseeds.com/catalog/p...=658&item=2766

Mine look different + I do not think this variety was offered by Sandhill, so this could not be a stray seed of Piriform in the seed packet...

[ContainerTed]

Except for the lack of ribbing, it also resembles Monomakh's Hat. You just never know for sure when these things happen.

I guess the real question is whether or not it tastes good. If it does, then we need more of them.

Ted

[Tania]

Originally Posted by ContainerTed

Except for the lack of ribbing, it also resembles Monomakh's Hat. You just never know for sure when these things happen.

I guess the real question is whether or not it tastes good. If it does, then we need more of them.

Ted

Ted,

I grew Monomakh's Hat (=Shapka Monomakha), seed from the original Russian CV and this one is not even close

http://tatianastomatobase.com/wiki/Shapka_Monomakha

Tania

[ContainerTed]

I had only seen a single picture on another website and that had no verification. But, like I said. Your's doesn't display the ribbing I saw on another website and only loosely "RESEMBLES" in basic outline "the hat" which would have to be upside down.

Amy Goldman is another that I feel "resembles" yours. But you are not a novice and you know better than we could ever know about your find.

Here's the Amy Goldman tom.

Ted

[Tania]

Ted,

i had some minor ribbing on some fruits, but not as pronounced as on Piriform or the one on your picture... could be just my environmental conditions though.

I guess we'll see in 2010 if it is stable or not

So far, I love the shape!

Tania

[bitterwort]

I got one from the same apparent cross from Zogola seeds I grew a couple years ago, seed purchased from Sand Hill that year (packet said "packed for 2006"). I posted a photo of it on that other tomato forum that shall go unnamed, wondering if anyone knew what it was. Craig, you made a guess and Carolyn, I believe, suggested I contact Glenn, which I did. There the tale ends.

I planted a bunch of the seeds that year (I was growing seedling for our community garden sale) and all were regular leaf seedlings. The one I kept for my own plot had fruits just like those Tania shows. I managed to successfully bag blossoms and save seeds in case was interested in what I then described as a "lovely fig-shaped, orangey-red, somewhat seedy, disease-prone but very vigorous RL indet. plant with fruit that drops off the vine when ripe." ;-) No, not a lot of people clamoring for seeds so far.