Save Seed from BER Tomato?

[dfollett]

I've read that all tomatoes on the same plant have the same seed properties. If that is the case, is there a problem with saving seed from a tomato with BER that has ripened as opposed to the ones I'd like to eat?

[Chucker]

I don't usually let my BER tomatoes grow, but I think saving seeds from them is a good use for them. The seeds are fine.

[WhippoorwillG]

I save from BER tomatoes, especially if it is a prone variety. This year with all of the rain, a majority of the trialed paste varieties have near complete BER, so the only way I can continue the seedline without purchasing new stock it to use BER examples.

One thing I watch for is the maturity of the seeds. Depending upon how early the BER sets in, sometimes a portion of the seeds don't seem to mature to the point that they can germinate.

[Salsacharley]

I had 14 of my first Cream Sausage tomatoes afflicted with BER. I was unsure of whether to keep them on the plant or remove them, so I researched a bit and found a PDF from Alabama Cooperative Extension System (www.aces.edu) that recommends removing them, otherwise the damaged area could serve as an entry point for disease-causing bacteria or fungi. I was disappointed not only in the high number of BER fruit, but that I couldn't save the seeds.

Since then I began using Texas Tomato Food as fertilizer and have had no BER since.

Charley

[carolyn137]

I remove all BER affected tomatoes as they appear b/c it just takes more plant energy to ripen them when that energy could be more useful elsewhere on the plant.

And with over 3 K varieties grown I've never saved seeds from BER fruits, since those usually appear early in the season and later fruits do not have it.

if it were a very rare variety and all I had was one fruit i suppose I might save seeds, but BER causes destruction of tissues, and that includes seeds, so I'd try to save seeds from the top of the fruits, not the bottom, and hope like heck that that one fruit didnt have internal BER as well.

Carolyn

[Master_Gardener]

Why would you do this if you have a choice?

[joseph]

I do not save seeds from any plant that has BER. I choose to not grow tomatoes that have that type of genetic defect.

[bbjm]

What about saving seeds from a catfaced tomato? I did some searching on this and found one website that said not to bc they are more likely to be cross pollinated. They argued that the chances are higher bc catfacing is the result of fused blossoms, but I'm pretty sure most my catfaced tomatoes were single blossoms.

[WhippoorwillG]

I agree that there are too many choices out there to keep trying to make lemonade out of rotten lemons. However, I cant always rule out that a portion of the field didnt get ph adjusted properly or BER was caused due to extreme weather conditions. I don't credit it to defective genetics in most cases, just a smaller range of ideal growing conditions tolerated by a particular variety.

I also have an unhealthy obsession with saving seed from varieties as long as they are not proven spitters. That doesnt mean I will devote any garden space to them next year, rather it gives me options for the future.

As for catfacing and fused blossoms, there is a youtube video of Tom Wagner discussing the best blooms to select for breeding and also some mention of seedsaving (if memory serves). I think it has to do with a wider window of time for pollination due to uneven anther/stigma maturity, and by extension cross pollination. Those blooms also tend to have a much larger stigmas giving more surface area for pollination.

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[carolyn137]

Originally Posted by joseph

I do not save seeds from any plant that has BER. I choose to not grow tomatoes that have that type of genetic defect.

Joseph, BER is not caused by a genetic defect. Variety X can have BER one year and next year not.

it's all about stresses to the plants early in the season. Some variables are too hot, too cold, too dry, too wet, too windy, too much N which causes rapid plant growth which is a stress to plants as well as growing in too rich soil for the same reason.

The varieties that seem to have less BER are cherry tomatoes, and probably b'c those are closest to the wild type from S.America.

As plants mature they can better handle the many stresses that can lead to BER which is why BER fruits are most often seen earlier in the season.

Carolyn

[carolyn137]

Originally Posted by bbjm

What about saving seeds from a catfaced tomato? I did some searching on this and found one website that said not to bc they are more likely to be cross pollinated. They argued that the chances are higher bc catfacing is the result of fused blossoms, but I'm pretty sure most my catfaced tomatoes were single blossoms.

With this I would agree.

Fused blossoms give rise to one fruit and each of those blossoms have a chance of being crosspollinated, and this has long been known, even before they were renamed megablooms.

So don't save seeds from fruits that originated from fused blossoms.

it's true that not all catfacing results from fused blossoms, though, and is usually seen with large fruited varieties and is variety dependent.

Other factors that can increase the chances of catfacing are abnormally cold weather during flowering,high soil N levels and any disturbance to the flowering parts during pollen shedding

Carolyn

[Tania]

I never saves seeds from a tomato with BER. Not because I believe you shouldn't - just because I almost never have BER on any of the varieties I grow. (And by now, I think I grew over 1500 varieties)

Not sure what it is that I 'do right', but BER does not bother my tomatoes, even the ones grown in smaller containers.

I am keeping my fingers crossed that it will continue this way!

[Tania]

And I fully agree that it is better not to save seeds from fruits developed from fused blossoms, as a chance of cross-pollination is significantly higher with these blossoms.

Tatiana

[bbjm]

Thank you Carolyn and Tatiana for the response on saving seeds on catfaced tomatoes. I had been letting one grow on a Mule Team and one on a Purple Dog Creek plant but will throw them out. They are too nasty looking to ever try to eat.

[Salsacharley]

Originally Posted by bbjm

Thank you Carolyn and Tatiana for the response on saving seeds on catfaced tomatoes. I had been letting one grow on a Mule Team and one on a Purple Dog Creek plant but will throw them out. They are too nasty looking to ever try to eat.

I'd eat a cat faced tomato in a heartbeat. Once you slice it up you can hardly tell it wasn't pretty. After all you're not marrying it, you're eating it.