Papa Vic: Regarding Brandy Boy Segregates

[Alan]

Hey Papa Vic, I figured this would be a great question to ask you. Have you as of yet had any of the brandy boys throw regular leaf traits? Just wondering, because out of four flats of different generations, I have ended up with about 5 regular leaf plants and a seed mix up while starting seeds is probably unlikely. Just wondering if this is something I should grow out and see what it does and if you have had any experience with it.

[johno]

Oh, this reminds me: HWJ sent me some Big Boy OP seeds - I think they came from Sandhill... The seedlings look pretty good, and I can't wait to try them.

[PapaVic]

Alan,

I've never gotten any regular leaf recombinants in the Brandy Boy grow-out, but then ...

1) I started in 2006 with F3 seeds that a friend sent saved from a volunteer he got in his Brandy Boy bed in 2005. That volunteer was potato-leaf, and
2) In 2007, I only planted maybe a dozen seeds from that first F3-PL mother, and
3) I chose just three prime seedlings from that F4 batch, all of which were PL, but slightly different looking. Then I quit the project.

So, they've all been potato-leaf, but maybe if I had saved F2 seeds from my own F1 plants, I may have seen some regular-leaf types. Others have reported RLs in the mix.

Why did I stop growing out Brandy Boy? Well in the F4, it started showing weakness and susceptibility to wilt before and worse than its neighbors in the same bed. Other varieties caught my interest and expressed better traits. I moved on. I think I have some F5 seed in the box, but no inclination to grow it out. I believe I may have sent you some F2s the same fellow also sent me. And I think I sent you some F3s, F4s, and maybe some F5s (which I have never tried).

Here are a few pics of the leaf shapes I got two years in a row ...

2006 F3 original mother.




One leaf shape on a 2007 F4.


A slightly different leaf shape on another 2007 F4.


And the wackiest shaped F4 from 2007.


But when all three showed wilt, I only saved seeds from one that was the healthiest. Lost interest. Glad you're pursuing it. Let me know what you get.

Bill