My Latest Project

Tim Cushing · March 25, 2015

Hello Everyone!

I'm brand new to this forum. However, last year I began growing different wild Solanum species related to our domesticated tomatoes. I obtained seeds from a few private sources, and a batch of seeds from USDA GRIN. I grew S. Habrochaites, S. Peruvianum, S. Pennellii, S. Cheesmaniae, and S. Galapagense. I also obtained S. Chilense seeds, but I've had terrible results with that species.

In particular, I successfully grew a number of S. Cheesmaniae plants. My interest started over a year ago when I bought seeds from Trade Winds Fruits and grew a couple of plants. I have since learned that the S. Cheesmaniae seeds I purchased from TWF are in fact a hybrid, and not a true S. Cheesmaniae. I also purchased seeds from Dr. Alan Kapuler (Peace Seeds, Corvallis, OR) and grew several plants. And then I received seeds from GRIN and did an experiment using different seed pre-soak methods to determine their effect on germination rates.

I have also had a little correspondence with a member of TGRC UC Davis during this time. Thanks to their help, I was able to discover that the TWF seeds were not true to type. In the meantime, the person at TGRC that I was corresponding with was surprised to discover that I grew several plants of LA1405, as TGRC thought that LA1405 no longer existed (they had donated seeds to GRIN in the early 70's, but threw out their own seeds in the mid 70's when they failed to germinate). TGRC has since ordered some of those seeds from GRIN.

I had an 89% germination rate with my LA1405 seeds. According to TGRC, S. Cheesmaniae seeds are notorious for being next to impossible to germinate. I, on the other hand, didn't seem to have a problem sprouting seeds of LA1405. I use rockwool cubes in a tray with water, and I keep my seedling room at a constant 90F degrees. Because of this, I requested more seeds from GRIN in order to test my method with other lots.

I received my order a couple of weeks ago, and I planted ten seeds of each lot into rockwool cubes on March 17, 2015. In addition to S. Cheesmaniae, I ordered and planted other species as well, particularly those that are known to cross with S. Lycopersicum. As of this morning, I have multiple sprouts. Here are my results so far:

S. Cheesmaniae
LA1404 7/10 (7 sprouts out of 10 seeds)
LA1405 8/10
LA1406 8/10
LA1407 2/10
LA1411 9/10
LA1412 8/10
LA1405A (seeds I saved from my LA1405 growout) 9/10
SS (Sacred Succulents) 8/10
PS (Peace Seeds) 9/10

S. Galapagense
LA0317 7/10
LA1401 0/10 (I had trouble sprouting these last year as well, and only have one plant)
LA1403 6/10
LA1410 4/10
SS 2/10
Note: Last year I found that it took much longer for the seeds of LA1401 (the only S. Galapagense seeds I had) to sprout.

S. Chmielewkii
LA1326 9/10
LA1330 6/10
SS 0/5

S. Neorickii
Kitea Tomati 8/10
SS 1/5

I will write a report later on my experiment (one of the conditions of GRIN). I will also experiment with sprouting them in fine coco peat, rather than rockwool to compare results.

I hope to learn how to breed my own varieties using these wild plants in the near future. But even if I don't get around to that this year, I will definitely save as much seed from my grow-outs as possible. I hope to have enough seed saved up from these in order to share with other breeders.

March 25, 2015	#1
Tim Cushing Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2015 Location: Tucson, Arizona Posts: 10	My Latest Project Hello Everyone! I'm brand new to this forum. However, last year I began growing different wild Solanum species related to our domesticated tomatoes. I obtained seeds from a few private sources, and a batch of seeds from USDA GRIN. I grew S. Habrochaites, S. Peruvianum, S. Pennellii, S. Cheesmaniae, and S. Galapagense. I also obtained S. Chilense seeds, but I've had terrible results with that species. In particular, I successfully grew a number of S. Cheesmaniae plants. My interest started over a year ago when I bought seeds from Trade Winds Fruits and grew a couple of plants. I have since learned that the S. Cheesmaniae seeds I purchased from TWF are in fact a hybrid, and not a true S. Cheesmaniae. I also purchased seeds from Dr. Alan Kapuler (Peace Seeds, Corvallis, OR) and grew several plants. And then I received seeds from GRIN and did an experiment using different seed pre-soak methods to determine their effect on germination rates. I have also had a little correspondence with a member of TGRC UC Davis during this time. Thanks to their help, I was able to discover that the TWF seeds were not true to type. In the meantime, the person at TGRC that I was corresponding with was surprised to discover that I grew several plants of LA1405, as TGRC thought that LA1405 no longer existed (they had donated seeds to GRIN in the early 70's, but threw out their own seeds in the mid 70's when they failed to germinate). TGRC has since ordered some of those seeds from GRIN. I had an 89% germination rate with my LA1405 seeds. According to TGRC, S. Cheesmaniae seeds are notorious for being next to impossible to germinate. I, on the other hand, didn't seem to have a problem sprouting seeds of LA1405. I use rockwool cubes in a tray with water, and I keep my seedling room at a constant 90F degrees. Because of this, I requested more seeds from GRIN in order to test my method with other lots. I received my order a couple of weeks ago, and I planted ten seeds of each lot into rockwool cubes on March 17, 2015. In addition to S. Cheesmaniae, I ordered and planted other species as well, particularly those that are known to cross with S. Lycopersicum. As of this morning, I have multiple sprouts. Here are my results so far: S. Cheesmaniae LA1404 7/10 (7 sprouts out of 10 seeds) LA1405 8/10 LA1406 8/10 LA1407 2/10 LA1411 9/10 LA1412 8/10 LA1405A (seeds I saved from my LA1405 growout) 9/10 SS (Sacred Succulents) 8/10 PS (Peace Seeds) 9/10 S. Galapagense LA0317 7/10 LA1401 0/10 (I had trouble sprouting these last year as well, and only have one plant) LA1403 6/10 LA1410 4/10 SS 2/10 Note: Last year I found that it took much longer for the seeds of LA1401 (the only S. Galapagense seeds I had) to sprout. S. Chmielewkii LA1326 9/10 LA1330 6/10 SS 0/5 S. Neorickii Kitea Tomati 8/10 SS 1/5 I will write a report later on my experiment (one of the conditions of GRIN). I will also experiment with sprouting them in fine coco peat, rather than rockwool to compare results. I hope to learn how to breed my own varieties using these wild plants in the near future. But even if I don't get around to that this year, I will definitely save as much seed from my grow-outs as possible. I hope to have enough seed saved up from these in order to share with other breeders.