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[email protected]

A recent diary update by Ned has me wondering. His pumpkin produced white seeds. We have one of those too. But most are varying shades of beige. Some even run towards a chestnut brown.

So far in the four pumpkins I've opened, only one has had white seeds. And size has varied quite a bit even within the same fruit.

I recall Carlos asking me in a private email last winter why I hadn't chosen a white seed to start this year. Truth is I didn't have any white seeds at the time.

But the question begs attention.

Does seed color or size really matter to us? Why?

Steve

10/21/2003 11:46:59 AM

seems to me that some people are blond, some have brown hair, and some have black hair. but let's see what the pumpkin genetics fanatics have to say about this.

10/21/2003 12:15:48 PM

Cornwall UK.(50N 5W)300ft.

I'd go with any size or colour as long as its plump.

10/21/2003 12:40:50 PM

Stouffville

Back in '93 Norm Craven gave me an 827 Holland seed. It was the most pathetic GIANT PUMPKIN seed I had ever seen, small and white, looked practically like something out of a field pumpkin. But she grew my 832 which could've gone over 900 had it not dill-ringed itself to pumpkin heaven prematurely and there was also an ~700lber, which i stupidly didn't take to competition on this 827 plant also.

Mike

10/21/2003 12:44:19 PM

Montoursville, PA

As amateur seedsmen and genetic monkeys we have quite a mix in the background of most of our seeds. Each new year the pumpkin produces in multiple seed pockets matching the number of lobes. The expectation is that any of the former traits can show up in any of those pockets of seed. The trick is to find the seed that will grow a desired result from the right seed pocket. I have never found a seed pocket marked "Strongly influenced by any other". Everything about your next plant comes from the genetics in the seed. This may explain why some two thirds of the year's huge pumpkins come from unproven seeds. It may also explain why out of the clear blue sky any seed may produce any unexpected trait....good, bad or indifferent.

10/21/2003 2:10:56 PM

Brillion Wisconsin

Hey Syeve, I don't think seed color has any impact on pumpkin size. I find myself looking at my seeds and wondering if I'm holding a record breaker or just another pumpkin seed. These seeds are kinda hypnotic when you spread them out on the kitchen table and look at them. Then 1 or 2 stand out and you seperate them from the rest of the seeds and you think to yourself "this is the one"

The seeds out of my 755 about were 2 differant sizes. Some were small and dark and others were big little colored. One seed out of the whole bunch has a white tip. That seeds will definatly get a chance this spring. Dean

10/21/2003 2:37:37 PM

Utah

Does seed color or size really matter to us?
No
Why?
I think seed size and seed color are independent unrelated genetic traits of fruit size or color.
I have never witness or heard of any correlation between seeds characteristics and fruit size or color.

10/21/2003 2:43:56 PM

Honesdale, Pennsylvania

FYI I thought that the white seeds from my 689 were a bit on the smaller size as well. I have never heard any real positive or negative comments on a white seed. It was just a surprise to me to see them when I opened the old girl up.

10/21/2003 2:45:56 PM

White Plains, NY

As I gathered the seeds in a fruit today I only kept the larger seeds that had some color. The smaller white seeds I have always discarded as being immature and inferior is this proceedure in error?

10/21/2003 8:09:55 PM

[email protected]

A note of interest,

A few years ago, Bill Bobier sent me two 723's for our PGPGA seed Auction, and they were the most pathetic looking, hollow sounding seeds you could imagine. I almost didnt want to auction them, feeling that if someone was going to spend 250 bucks on one of these seeds, they had better be good. As with all auctions, there is no guarantee of germination, so we autioned them off, and to my knowledge, the winning bids never had any problem germinating.

To ensure you have a legit 723, the most amazing trait of the seed is the immature outter coating. The seeds were tan, except for the semi immature white corners on nearly every one that came out of that pumpkin. I had the chance to chat with Bill in person about these seeds and seed coatings, and he agreed, it isnt the outside of the seed that makes the plant/fruit, it is what is on the inside.

Dont worry about the seed color, it is just like human beings..


It is not what is on the outside that counts, it is what is on the inside...

10/21/2003 8:59:32 PM

Deer Park, WI

Couldnt have said it better than that Rocky.

10/22/2003 8:45:55 AM

Stouffville

but white seeds in a fruit which has brown ones are immature and don't have nuttin' in 'em, from my experiences anyway

10/22/2003 5:03:35 PM

Indiana

Is it possible that the white seed comes from a pumpkin with more pumpkin genes and the brown ones come from a pumpkin with more squash genes??
Steve

10/22/2003 5:27:01 PM

Stouffville

no, in a pumpkin with brown seeds, seed maturity determines the colour as far as i'm concerned

10/22/2003 5:48:29 PM

Indiana

What i meant is some mature pumpkins have all white seed and some have all brown seed I thought that might have to do with genetics somehow.
Steve

10/22/2003 5:52:33 PM

Stouffville

well it's genetics but i don't think seed colour is related to fruit colour as g1t mentioned above

10/22/2003 6:05:09 PM

[email protected]

The white seeds I removed here were the biggest honkin seeds I have ever seed & definatly not immature. I didn't grow the pumpkin. It was grown by Jake Garrell who is David's son.

278 est J.Garrell ’03 (940 Mombert ’00 x 946.5 Mettler ’00 selfed)

Quite a pumpkin for a 7 year old!

10/22/2003 7:52:30 PM

Choctaw, OK

the only thing I find is white seeds seem to germinate easier than thick tan seeds.

Case

10/23/2003 11:30:27 AM

Syracuse, NY

seed size--doesn't matter, but plumpness is definitely a factor for the early growth of the seedling, although any seedling CAN catch-up. i often use a laser pointer, shone through the seed in a darkened area of the room to determine where the seed meat actually is within the seed shell....without shining it at myself, of course!

seed color--some growers are thrilled to see white seeds, others, tan. i am not concerned with seed color...it is, as was said, just another characteristic of the seed---additionally, it is the VERY FIRST, detectable genetic re-combination of the genes that are at work in the new cross.
so, you might have planted two seeds to begin with, both of them were white as could be, and you might end-up with dark brown seeds in the offspring of the two...
i think the white seeds usually don't have as much of a weather-resistant coating as the tan and brown ones, which might account for easier germination. i like them a little
more because i can write on them and it doesn't rub off.lol.

lastly, if you can squish a freshly-picked seed flat down to nothing with your finger and thumb, chances are it is immature---but it is definitely worth putting them in a separate pile for further evaluation, say, with a laser pointer? 'pal

11/5/2003 7:19:24 PM

Norton, MA

I got some white ones out of this year's 370.6 and they are small too. But i cut one open and it had a very thin shell but was full of meat. Why doesn't somebody bring this up at a meeting or something an post what people say.

11/12/2003 4:52:00 PM