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Post by imgrimmer on Jun 12, 2016 14:43:14 GMT -5
I found 3 volunteers in my garden. One is big as all plants on fields around here the others are much smaller. Last winter was not very cold only -6°C but I am surprised about this finding. Always thought maize could not withstand any frost. I grew Josephs frosty Landrace amongst others last year this could explain a good part. Some stubs were still green in early spring but faded away later. Someone has experienced the same?
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Post by Joseph Lofthouse on Jun 12, 2016 16:36:55 GMT -5
I get a few corn volunteers every year. Enough that I plan based on the genetic compatibility of last year's corn crop, and this year's... For example, I wouldn't plant sweet corn this year in the same spot that I planted popcorn, or flour corn last year. Too big of a risk of contamination. Also, I grow perennial Zea species like Zea diploperennis, and [Z diploperennis X Z maize] hybrids, so there may be some genetics for rhizomous roots running around in my corn. Rhizomes on Zea diploperennis:
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Post by keen101 (Biolumo / Andrew B.) on Jun 12, 2016 19:26:31 GMT -5
I have one Corn or Teosinte volunteer growing in my upper watermelon patch. But i did not grow corn there last year, so most likely it was a fallen seed somehow from the teosinte and corn i tried planting this year. It looks like it may turn into a heavily tillered plant and honestly it looks different in growth habit than the teosinte and teosinte-corn hybrids growing within my pea breeding patch, so i'm curious as to what it is. I get a few corn volunteers every year. Enough that I plan based on the genetic compatibility of last year's corn crop, and this year's... For example, I wouldn't plant sweet corn this year in the same spot that I planted popcorn, or flour corn last year. Too big of a risk of contamination. Also, I grow perennial Zea species like Zea diploperennis, and [Z diploperennis X Z maize] hybrids, so there may be some genetics for rhizomous roots running around in my corn. Rhizomes on Zea diploperennis: How is that project coming along this year. I'm eager to hear any news on teosinte projects or odd corn of any kind (like that 10 ear plant).
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Post by starbuckwhy on Jun 14, 2016 3:46:03 GMT -5
How is that project coming along this year. I'm eager to hear any news on teosinte projects or odd corn of any kind (like that 10 ear plant). i too am curious to hear about your teosinte, and your zea hybrids. i am just starting to get tassels on my drip watered corn, so my drought stress corn should start tasseling soon too, the early varieties anyways. do you think i could trouble you for some of the pollen from your hybrids? it would speed my project up a lot to be able to fold some of those genes in at this early stage of the project.
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Post by Joseph Lofthouse on Jun 14, 2016 10:36:24 GMT -5
do you think i could trouble you for some of the pollen from your hybrids? My corn has barely sprouted. It will be months before pollen is available...
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Post by starbuckwhy on Jun 16, 2016 3:23:13 GMT -5
oh, haha, of course I didn't mean right away or anything just whenever you can, if you want to I planted my corn in groups, three seeds of each kind in each group. then staggered out the groups every two weeks. that way the early varieties and late varieties will easily pollinate with each other instead of missing each other. I had a couple of batches that mostly died off, so some are spaced an entire month apart. I started almost three months ago under a grow lamp, on a heating pad. so the oldest seedlings that are early breeds are silking now. I will be saving the pollen and hand pollinating so that I can use the pollen for back breeding later. that is why hybrid pollen would actually be even more use to me than dilperennis seeds or even hybrid seeds. I can use it to pollinate the seedlings that are still babies now (the ones that just went in the ground last week) and then add any residue to the pollen bank I will be setting up for the later years of the project.
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Post by Joseph Lofthouse on Jun 17, 2016 3:35:42 GMT -5
How does one go about collecting, storing, and transporting corn pollen for later use in pollination?
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Post by steve1 on Jun 19, 2016 4:46:27 GMT -5
Joseph Lofthouse I read a paper awhile ago re freeze drying corn pollen. Will have a look next week and get back with the details. From memory it found if you desiccate the pollen (with silica bags) package and put in the freezer the pollen was 15% viable at 1 year. Collecting the pollen would probably be accomplished by shaking the tassels into a paper bag. It's what I was going to do with the Peruvian giant corn I grew this year - but have just decided to resow the planned crosses next year now I know I can get the giant corn to maturity...
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Post by imgrimmer on Jun 19, 2016 12:46:24 GMT -5
citrus pollen is best stored frozen when dried (with a desiccator). probably it will work with maize pollen too.
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Post by starbuckwhy on Jun 21, 2016 1:16:09 GMT -5
Joseph Lofthouse I read a paper awhile ago re freeze drying corn pollen. Will have a look next week and get back with the details. From memory it found if you desiccate the pollen (with silica bags) package and put in the freezer the pollen was 15% viable at 1 year. Collecting the pollen would probably be accomplished by shaking the tassels into a paper bag. It's what I was going to do with the Peruvian giant corn I grew this year - but have just decided to resow the planned crosses next year now I know I can get the giant corn to maturity... yes. what they said the youtube videos i have seen on collecting corn pollen for hand pollination basically said to shake the pollen onto a paper plate every day and then use a brush to pollinate with. I figure I'll buy a few cheap brushes and then tap the pollen into a zip lock with the silicate packet and the brush. once the silks are all pollinated and the taslles are withering and drying up i will pinch off part of them and stick them in the ziplock and freeze the entire thing. just tapping it into a ziplock with a desiccate packet should be enough for something that's getting used this year. i was never able to find any information about how the frozen pollen works, if it has a higher rate e of mutation , or anything like that. everything I read suggested that you try to use stored pollen within 6 months of collecting it, but never said why exactly. the nice thing about pollen is , it only takes a tiny bit to pass on to create hybrids.
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Post by imgrimmer on Jul 5, 2016 13:00:40 GMT -5
Thanks for all your answers! interestingly all volunteers are dwarfs and start to make male flowers but no female ones (don`t know the english expressions for it right now )
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Post by steev on Jul 5, 2016 21:06:54 GMT -5
I'd think that pollen on a plate in the freezer would freeze-dry fine, without a desiccator; might should preliminary dry a bit in the fridge to avoid ice-crystals. Any mushrooms I only get a few of, I dry open in the fridge; works great.
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Post by starbuckwhy on Jul 7, 2016 3:17:37 GMT -5
Thanks for all your answers! interestingly all volunteers are dwarfs and start to make male flowers but no female ones (don`t know the english expressions for it right now ) i think the term for the male flower is tassel and the term for the female is silk. that is interesting that they are coming up only male. i have a few that are male and female in the same flower. you should try cutting off one of the male flowers and bagging (putting a paper bag over the flower to control what it pollinates with) it with one of the female flowers on another plant, to see how the hybrids turn out, might be neat.
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Post by imgrimmer on Jul 8, 2016 5:02:43 GMT -5
i have a few that are male and female in the same flower. I saw the same on many plants last year. I was wondering what it means... In the end these plants formed cobs too but I throw them away. I don`t like them, they gave me a bad feeling about diseases and such anxious thoughts beside they produce very bad which is mainly the reason..
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