If you could only grow hybrids????

[carolyn137]

Originally Posted by barkeater

Nice tutorial, Jennifer. I found most interesting that for seed savers:

1. potato-leaf types of L. esculentum generally have styles that protrude outside their blossom. These lines are more attractive to insects and thus, more likely to be cross-pollinated.
2. do not collect seeds of double fruits since double flowers are more prone to insect pollination.

It used to be said that PL varieties were more susceptible to crossing but my own experience and that of others is that that's not true but has been part of the literature for so long it's surprising.

On the second one I wouldn't save seeds from double fruits, megabloom fruits, etc., not necessarily b/c the blossoms are more prone to insect pollination, rather, the blossoms of each fruit of a double fused fruit could have been pollinated by different pollen, thus the seeds in such fruits would not be as pure as one might like to see. A blossom is a blossom and insects that do the X pollination go for the pollen as a protein source, not for nectar, b'c tomato blossoms have no nectar. I guess I'm quibbling with the more prone word.

Jennifer, that link has been posted here and at other sites before and if you look at the genus and species name they use, L. esculentum, you know the link must be rather dated since the Genus name was changed to Solanum now many years ago.

Just my slant on the two points above.

But for sure lots of good info for folks who haven't seen it before.