need advice on breeding

rws-NH-45 · April 11, 2012

Hello all,

I have a tomato which I'm calling "Red Cousin." It was the result of an accidental cross between Morning Sun (small yellow), and I believe (Amish Paste) in a neighbor's garden.

I discovered it when he gave me two plants which were supposed to be Morning Sun. However one of them was "Red Cousin."

Red Cousin is small (golf ball size to small egg), tasty, very prolific (600 fruits from 3 plants). It is a big plant which will get over 6 feet. It is also fairly juicy and seedy.

I saved the seeds from the first red plant (2010), and planted 4 plants from those seeds in 2011 when I got 3 red plants and 1 yellow (which I cut down). These were grown in my hoophouse with no other tomatoes. I saved seeds from the 2011 crop and will plant them again this summer.

I need advice on how to proceed further.

I would like to 1- keep the prolific fruit production, 2- get rid of any yellow plants, 3- get the shape stabilized (in 2011 there were round and egg shaped fruits).

any comments appreciated, and I have lots of seeds if anyone wants, just send a PM.

thanks, Richard

travis · April 11, 2012

If you are selecting for red flesh and culling yellow flesh, the number of plants will be larger from which you may select red fleshed tomatoes because red is dominant over yellow.

What shape are you shooting for? If round, that too will show up in more plants than elongated or pointed as in Amish Paste. However, I am not familiar with Morning Sun's shape. Is it round?

With regard to fruit size, small is dominant over larger. I'm guessing Morning Sun is smaller than Amish Paste? The golfball size and shape may be easy to stabilize. It has been with a cross I made between a 12-oz. beefsteak and a 1/2 oz. cherry pear.

Other growers may have more specific advice.

dice · April 17, 2012

One simply grows as many as one has room for of a given
generation and then picks the best one to save seeds from.
You may find that you need to backtrack some years to
the same generation as last year because none of last year's
plants was satisfactory for whatever traits you are looking
for (including flavor).

April 11, 2012	#1
rws-NH-45 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Sanbornton, NH Posts: 27	need advice on breeding Hello all, I have a tomato which I'm calling "Red Cousin." It was the result of an accidental cross between Morning Sun (small yellow), and I believe (Amish Paste) in a neighbor's garden. I discovered it when he gave me two plants which were supposed to be Morning Sun. However one of them was "Red Cousin." Red Cousin is small (golf ball size to small egg), tasty, very prolific (600 fruits from 3 plants). It is a big plant which will get over 6 feet. It is also fairly juicy and seedy. I saved the seeds from the first red plant (2010), and planted 4 plants from those seeds in 2011 when I got 3 red plants and 1 yellow (which I cut down). These were grown in my hoophouse with no other tomatoes. I saved seeds from the 2011 crop and will plant them again this summer. I need advice on how to proceed further. I would like to 1- keep the prolific fruit production, 2- get rid of any yellow plants, 3- get the shape stabilized (in 2011 there were round and egg shaped fruits). any comments appreciated, and I have lots of seeds if anyone wants, just send a PM. thanks, Richard

April 17, 2012	#3
dice Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: PNW Posts: 4,743	One simply grows as many as one has room for of a given generation and then picks the best one to save seeds from. You may find that you need to backtrack some years to the same generation as last year because none of last year's plants was satisfactory for whatever traits you are looking for (including flavor). __________________ -- alias Last edited by dice; April 17, 2012 at 04:37 AM. Reason: trivial

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April 11, 2012	#2
travis Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Evansville, IN Posts: 2,984	If you are selecting for red flesh and culling yellow flesh, the number of plants will be larger from which you may select red fleshed tomatoes because red is dominant over yellow. What shape are you shooting for? If round, that too will show up in more plants than elongated or pointed as in Amish Paste. However, I am not familiar with Morning Sun's shape. Is it round? With regard to fruit size, small is dominant over larger. I'm guessing Morning Sun is smaller than Amish Paste? The golfball size and shape may be easy to stabilize. It has been with a cross I made between a 12-oz. beefsteak and a 1/2 oz. cherry pear. Other growers may have more specific advice.