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One of the main concerns that I
have is that people do not realize how important it is to prevent
cross pollination of plants within the same Species of Tomatoes or Peppers.
1) C. pubescens -- purple flowers and seeds (Rarely grown in the US except by members of Seed Savers) 2) C. annuum --flowers are white or purple and have tan seeds (one of the two grown in US) 3) C. chinense-- flowers have a greenish tinge and the ripe fruits have a strong smokey-tropical fruit aroma (Rarely grown in the US except by members of Seed Savers) 4) C. frutescens-- flowers have a greenish tinge , but the fruit has a vegetable aroma (one of the two grown in US) 5) C. baccatum -- includes escabeche, kellu-uchu and puca-uchu. (Rarely grown in the US except by members of Seed Savers) Peppers are usually cross pollinated by insects, and must be isolated by at least 500 feet or be physically isolated from other peppers plants with an impenetrable barrier such as Remay or Tufbell PVA. Since most people live fairly close to their neighbors and do not know what those industrious neighbors might be growing in their gardens, I would recommend the physical barrier method. It is almost fullproof, unless your barrier gets torn. TOMATO CROSS - POLLINATION: Most tomato varieties have regular leaves and retracted styles which limit or preclude cross pollination. Three types of tomatoes, however, have protruding styles, thereby facilitating cross pollination. It is extemely important not to grow any of these three close to each other as it can ruin your seed saving program. Tomatoes with Protruding styles: 1) currant tomatoes (L. pimpinellifolium), 2) potato-leaved varieties (L. lycopersicon), and 3) the double blossoms on beefsteak types of L. lycopersicon. (usually the first flowers of the season on beefsteaks) The currant tomatoes come with a variety of innocuous names such as: Texas Wild Cherry, Red Currant, Yellow Currant, Cuidad Victoria, Chiapis Wild, Galapagos Wild, Lemon Drop, etc. They are great tomatoes, but seed savers need to be aware of their species type and their ability to cross pollinate. As Jeff Nekola, of Wisconsin, reported in the 2001 Yearbook of the Seed Saver's Exchange, fully one-third of the pepper seeds he obtained through the yearbook were reproducing off-type offspring. That means that those pepper seeds were from cross-pollinated plants. I found exactly the same ratio in the tomato seeds that I received through the year book, year after year. This ratio is also present in many of the Websites that offer seed to the public, unfortunately. I trial at least 60 to 120 types of new tomatoes a year from various sources including seed savers, commercial companies, and private websites. It is disturbing to think that poor seed saving techniques, and failure to check seeds for genetic purity each year, is contributing to a diminuition of the viable genetic seed pool of distinct genetical varieties in the United States . I find many enthusiastic seed savers, both large and small, that do not think it is necessary to isolate peppers or the three types of tomatoes that have protruding styles. And they enthusiastically sell this seed to an unsuspecting public. Another consideration in Seed Saving is appearance. Seed is only as good as the parent fruit that it comes from. If seed is saved from a tomato with cat facing, concentric rings, blemishes, etc. then that genetic defect will be present in the seed's DNA. It will be carried on in future offspring. If seed is saved from a plant that has little foliage or poor foliage, then the future offspring will carry that characteristic in its DNA coding. If plants fail to thrive that is a characteristic. If a plant is vigorous, has good foliage for protecting the fruit from the sun, and lots of leaves to produce food for the roots, then those characteristics will be passed on in the seed's DNA. Oxheart tomatoes are notorious for their wispy foliage. This is a perfect example of a trait carried on in the seed's DNA. But people adore the Oxheart and put up with the wispy foliage. If a plant is prone to blossom end rot, then its seed will carry that defect. Blossom end rot is an environmental problem, but some tomatoes are better at ignoring inhospitable conditions than others. All this should point out that it is up to the ethical integrity of the Seed Saver to save the best examples of each variety and to root out and destroy inferior types and defective DNA characteristics. I am a long term member of the Seed Saver's Exchange and Garden State Heirloom Seed Savers organizations. In the Summer Edition of Seed Savers 2003, I was one of the top 11 Seed Savers offering heirloom seeds. I was the fifth largest tomato seed lister in Seed Savers. I have years of experience in growing vegetable and flowers. I am a currently certified Master Gardener in the State of Georgia, where I do annual volunteer community service along with my son (who is also a Master Gardener). I have traded seeds with many people and bought from many more over the years. I have trialed hundreds and hundreds of tomato varieties. I mention these facts to provide some credibility for this article. SOURCES: "Seed to Seed", by Susan Ashworth Seed Saver's Exchange Yearbook, 2001, page 45. |