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Lets say we have a favorite seed that's been selfed for 3 or 4 generations. And we also have another seed that has been selfed for only 1 or 2 generations. If both were planted, is there any benefit or detriment to crossing these 2 plants?
What is this called? Sibbed?

Steve

4/13/2003 9:33:43 PM

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I forgot to mention that both seeds were selfed from the same seed.

4/13/2003 9:56:44 PM

Appalachian Mtns.

Sibb

4/13/2003 10:19:53 PM

Caceres, mid west of Spain

Steve,
That plan is not too far from the way the 935 Lloyd was made.
If you take a look to its hierarchy tree, you'll find out that it come from a cross between 875 Lloyd 96 (687 Lloyd 95 x self) and the 909.5 Lloyd 96 (687 Lloyd 95 x self too). I understand those crosses as a simplified way to do what you are thinking in.
I do believe that the result or success of both self and sib seeds depend more on the luck than crossed ones'. Because you are promoting the best characteristics as well as the bad ones in the same manner. And maybe you get the opposite to what you are looking for: a decrease in consistency.
You have to consider that each seed of the thousand a pumpkin can reach to get comes from one different pollen grain and one different ovule. When the pollen mother cell divides in the meiotic process, it segregates their chromosomes in two parts and each pollen grain receive one half. And the ovule one do the same. If many of the genes of the mother plant and of the pollinator male (the same in self cases) are heterocigotics, the variety of the offspring results very high.
Which should be the way? In my opinion, only self and sib very consistent seeds, that showed off similar shape, colour, growing vigour, stem length, disease and split free behaviour, strong secondary root system develop tendency...
To self a seed with a very different offspring represents a too high risk to get very little consistency on the future.

Don

4/14/2003 2:04:55 AM