Breeding beets

[raymondo]

I'd like a golden beet the shape of Cylindra so I planted the varieties Golden and Cylindra together and am now collecting seed. I've done a germination test on the Golden seed and every one has yellow stems. I was hoping for something simple like red stem dominant to yellow stem. With all my yellow stemmed seedlings I thought perhaps it's the other way round. I will have to wait a while because the Cylindra seed isn't quite there yet.
Unfortunately, today I found part of an article (they want $34 before letting me see all three pages!!!) which suggests that it is rather more complicated with separate genes responsible for red and yellow with both of them dominant alleles. I suppose I shall just have to press on, grow out some F1s, assuming the cross actually happened of course, to see the root shape. How frustrating this breeding business!!! I can see that I shall have to have quite a number of projects going at once.

[grungy]

Raymondo, Let us all know how it goes.

[ottawagardener]

Ray, if you need anyone to help grow out next year, let me know.

this is fun and exciting!

[ottawagardener]

Oh and some of the mangels have more cylindrical growth and a lighter colour. I'm sure there's someone who knows more than I do about it but the thought jumped into my head.

[raymondo]

Will do Val.

Thanks for the offer Telsing. Good point about the mangels too.

Today I am more hopeful. Two more seedlings came up and both are red stemmed. Perhaps I misinterpreted the article which I only part read. If I had been able to read the whole thing it may have given a more precise description. Of course, they could have been seed that got caught up as I harvested the Golden seed stem as I had the two, Cylindra and Golden, intertwined. It's not really a good time for starting beets here as we head into winter but I'm too excited to wait. I'll pot up beets and see what happens!

[grunt]

Raymondo, what was the name of the article? I may know someone, who knows someone...

[raymondo]

Dan, the article was in the Russian Journal of Genetics here www.springerlink.com/content/mx62741rgl803628/

It's only three pages so don't go to any trouble. There is an email contact for one of the authors and I'm tempted just to ask him directly, but that seems rather bold!

[canadamike]

Look at this one from Baker Creek Ray, I grew it last summer, it is a mangel that makes a nice eating white beet. The interesting thing is the golden color of the skin, it looks beautiful and just like a golden beet. The size is frankly small for a mangel, more like a very large beet for the largest roots, despite what is said, at least here....

I have no seeds left unfortunately

Yellow Cylindrical Beetroot seeds Yellow Cylindrical
Very large, oblong, golden-yellow mangel beets are sweet and tasty if picked small, or let them mature for high-quality stock feed. A rare European heirloom that can grow huge. It also makes tasty greens.

Item Code: BT106
$2.25
Bulk Quantities
1/4 lb - $8.00

[raymondo]

That would be an interesting one to throw into the mix Michel. Thanks. Luckily, we can import beet seed and I order from Baker Creek regularly.

[grunt]

Raymondo: Was this the page you got to read?
"A new genetic character of the beet Beta vulgaris L., named stem color, was described and studied genetically. This character was shown to be dominant trait and monogenically inherited. The first-year beet plants with the genotype Stc/_have red leafstalks, weakly colored central rib, and colored storage root; however, the root itself is not colored. The second-year plants have a red-colored low third of the floral shoot. The plants with the genotype stc/stc are uncolored. The Stc gene was localized to the first linkage group at a distance of 17.5 +/- 2.1 crossing over units from the gene B (Bolting), which controls the annual-perennial habit of beet."
To me this seems to say that stem color isn't goiing to tell you much in the F1's (or I nay have misread it). Not feeling particularly bright at the moment. Got into all of this crossing and genes and alleles stuff a little later than I should have (by about 25 years).
Cheers
Dan

[raymondo]

Got into all of this crossing and genes and alleles stuff a little later than I should have (by about 25 years).

I know what you mean Dan. The first time I read Carol Deppe's book I was already past fifty. That's why I have to keep reading it!!!!

Yes, that's part of what I read. I guess I'm having trouble coming to terms with the fact that there can be several alleles for a gene, not just two. Later in that article they talk about red and yellow both as dominant alleles. I immediately thought that there must be another gene where yellow plays a role but of course that needn't be the case I guess. The mind boggles, or at least mine does!

[PatrickW]

Ray,

Beet grexes seem popular. For example there is the well known 5 color silverbeet chard mix, and the famous version of this maintained by the Australian seed savers. Alan Kapuler offers a Three Root Grex via Peace Seeds that also contains the Golden beet. Even if you don't end up with what you expect, you might want to keep an eye out for an interesting grex to maintain.

[raymondo]

I hadn't thought of that. Thanks Patrick.

Another two seedlings came up, clearly from the same fruit as the corky casing was still attached to both. One is yellow, the other red. Definitely some hybridizing going!

[grunt]

Raymondo: They are just becoming to realize that there's a whole lot more going on than they thought. It isn't just which gene is present, but where it sits in relation to what, and interactions between several other genes. Then you have to throw in all of the environmental variables. So you end up with not just all of the gene combinations to chart out, but an infinite number of inter-relationships from the combinations and locations, plus outside influence. My head hurts.

[canadamike]

Just relax and eat the stuff guys. Protect your aching heads.

Should end up kind of brown ;D