OSU Purple Tomato (yes, again)

[Alan]

I was thinking about the issues that folks have had when working with this tomato regarding plant breeding, the tiny size/lack of pollen issue. One thing that did occur to me is that OSU and Jim Meyers (I believe) have worked on a number of parthenocarpic tomatoes which will set fruit in the absence of pollination friendly temperatures. Is it possible that these genes are floating around in the OSU lines making pollen collection chancy at best?

Any thoughts tomato breeders?

[kctomato]

I didn't have pollen issues on "good" days. In fact, it produced ample pollen then.

He could have used some of those parthenocarpic lines (which i thought was attributable to Bagett more than Meyers). It seems that from what is written they used ones they thought would improve flavor.

I really didnt think they tasted that bad. They are segregating so people will see differences.

[Alan]

Thanks KC for the info.

I wonder exactly how many lines of this there are floating around out there now and if the Sungold cross they mentioned in the past was ever performed and if so what the F1 result of that cross was and how it is segregating out now.

Maybe I'll get around to interviewing Myers after I do the Kapuler interview, I would be interested in hearing about his progress with these lines.

KC, do you know if there is only one line or more than one floating around?

[atimberline]

Alan,
do you have some truly purple small tomato sels? ...could I get some if you do? ...esp any with like Sungold in the background

[Alan]

I only have just a very few seed of the OSU blue tomato, I have no clue of it's background and have yet to grow it out but will be doing so in both the early greenhouses as well as outside in the field this spring, I will also be attempting to make some crosses using the pollen and as soon as I get some seed saved from them I'll send you as many as you would like to have. I got mine from MichaelJohnson who posted in the other thread regarding the OSU tomato, he may have some more, if not, no biggie, like I said I'll get some seed out to you as soon as I get it grown out!

[michaeljohnson]

Unfortunately- I have just about exhausted my supply of O.S.U. Blue for this year, but will have plenty by august or sept this coming season-I hope,

I think all in all, they have just about been the most popular tomato request of the season- trade has been very brisk since August and every now and then I have to stop and mop a fevered brow and take a breather

[kctomato]

I have no idea

but again some variation seems to exist even with P20

[ottawagardener]

I hope to grow out the seed that Micheal gave me (thanks so much!) and save seed as well. The good thing about tomato is they produce a lot of seed!

Oh Micheal, does the foliage appear darker than regular tomato green?

[michaeljohnson]

No-it's about the same as normal, except that some of the plants-(not all) develop blue or purple in patches in the leaves and the lower stem of the plant, especially on the underside of the leaves- some plants have an almost black stem for the first couple of foot or so of stem length,
But most of the leaf and stem colour phases out to a more normal colour as the season goes on and the plants get bigger higher up the plants, by mid summer the leaves and stem new growth are almost all normal green, the best plants to save seed from are the ones that exhibit the most blue and purple in the leaves and stems in the early stages-which they retain in the lower half of the plant.
It is the actual ripening of the tomatoes that is the tricky bit- they tend to fool you into thinking they are ripe when they are not, by being a solid blue/black from about marble size upwards, it is only when the little green patch at the back of each individual tomato turns bright red on it's own are they then deemed to be ripe.

Greenhouse grown plants show absolutely no leaf or stem colour at all until maturity- neither do the tomatoes-then all of a sudden the tomatoes go a patchy deep maroon colour and finally red.

Outdoor grown plants look by far the best for colour-every time.

[ottawagardener]

Thanks Micheal. Good to know.

[kctomato]

OG

I saw a range of types. Again segregating lines of 3 genes that would influence the foliage color.

The one in the upper right of this picture was one of the lines which were likely homozygous for the purple trait. Others were more intermediate like MJ described.



Compared to normal (left) and variegated potato leaf (bottom right)

this deep of purple was coaxed by high light and cool conditions which cause it to express more dramtatically. As it got "hot" in summer even this plant appeared more intermediate.

[Alan]

I was thinking about eventually making some crosses to Orange flesh purple smudge at some point in the future just to see what the resulting expression of purple would be in the eventual F1 generation, but I don't know if I'll get around to it this year.

I do have some other things in mind though that I plan to cross into this line.

[raymondo]

I wonder if, like Rebsie's peas, you crossed this purplish blue with a yellow whether you'd end up with a red!!!

[kctomato]

Jan 19, 2009 22:00:07 GMT -5 raymondo said:

I wonder if, like Rebsie's peas, you crossed this purplish blue with a yellow whether you'd end up with a red!!!

In the F1 you would get a red with intermediate coloring for purpling.

In the F2 you'd find
about 1/4 yellow
about 3/4 purpling (1/4 deep purple, 1/2 intermediate)

[raymondo]

The ratios look like those for single gene inheritance - 1/4PP + 1/2Pp + 1/4pp. Is this the case?