Pedigree of Green Zebra tomato

[Alan]

I stumbled accros this interesting web-site yesterday and found an article by our very own Tom Wagner discussing the pedigree of the Green Zebra tomat which I thought some of you might enjoy and maybe Tom might comment or elaborate on:

www.savingourseeds.org/article_green_zebra.html

[kctomato]

was the gs contributor the (probable) Gulf State Market variant reported by Larsen and Pollack?

[tatermater]

Alan and Keith,

I talked with Jeff McCormick about a year or so ago and I sent him some info on the Green Zebra. I just sent him an update on that link. but generally the info is good for people to take notice. I am always just a bit fearful of how my pedigree info with be misused. I must be saving the exact info for a book.

Being so busy with my own forum, blog, and getting a sales appeal readied, I found myself lagging in literary energies.

I have a few notes that I will have to re-edit.. More later

[flowerpower]

That was insightful for such a small article. It shows how much work goes into breeding just one variety that will come true from seed. Wow! It pissed me off that I saw one "heirloom" seed co (that will remain nameless ) had 2 big pics on one pg of 2 of Tom's varieties. Yet, he was given no mention whatsoever. That is not fair to him. Maybe the names need to be altered a bit, like Wagner's Green Zebra.

[tatermater]

When I talked with Jeff M about his venture into web site construction and herbs and the retreat from the Southern Seed Exposure, I came away with the realization that making money with tomatoes was truly far fetched for me. There is always a capitalization entrance to selling seed. As the saying goes, "It takes money to make money" and I doubt if anyone is ever going to say "It takes seed to make money" even thought it is true that it takes seed to make seed.


Page 28 in the 2007 Harvest Edition of the SSE covers part of my oral history of the Green Zebra.
When I get to the point where the detailed information, the year to year documents, and the trials and tribulations of the seed descent work is laid out; I might fill up the dozens of pages required to document that. If I can't write it as in a catalog, published journal, book, it won't be known. The last thing I want is for some self important person writing about it with bits and scraps of dubious information floating in the misinformation campaign that is infecting the main stream media.

I have a mind to perhaps never release the data on my varieties and to let the bulk of my work (varieties, pedigree, tomato culture, etc) die as a lesson to the Anti-GMO crowd that professes adulation to diversity but ignores what is under their feet.

Those folks who think they are the elite of the epistemic community by espousing dangers of the "Carbon Footprint" are foremost among those ignoring the "Seed Footprint" of diversity ignored. My political pun intended.

Tom Wagner

[jtcm05]

Would someone mind pasting the article text here. Link is blocked here at work. Thanks.

[giardiniere]

Pedigree of 'Green Zebra' tomato
by Tom Wagner

'Green Zebra' has 4 heirloom-type tomatoes in the pedigree.

The first breeding line was between 'Evergreen' and a crack-resistant red. The hybrid was red to start with, but an improved green evolved by the F-5 filial generation. The other parent was a cross of a green-striped red tomato that was a mutant out of an old market variety of the 1940's, and another heirloom that Gleckler's seed company had in an old catalog of the 1950's. I had to reselect for the green stripe (red and yellow when ripe) until I had better crack resistance and flavor by the F-6 selection. The hybrid of these lines created a hybrid F-1 that was red, and no little or no stripes. Several generations of bulk harvesting of sister clones were evaluated repeatedly in the field followed by a generation in the greenhouse to get the tangiest green flesh with various levels of striping. The lines were in different groups of 5%, 10%, 60%, 80% striping intensities. I released the first seed in 1983 within my Tater-Mater Seed catalog, and the 60% striping level was called 'Green Zebra' at that time.

Editor's note: Tom Wagner's business is breeding "heritage" type varieties of tomatoes and potatoes. He utilizes many heirlooms to develop a complex pedigree, and grows out over one hundred thousand seedlings and/or clones each year in potatoes alone. Most of his clones have either unique colors and flavors, or abilities to withstand pathogen/insect damage. He may be contacted at [phone] at Tater-Mater Seed in Everett, Washington.

[tatermater]

I sent Jeff my address correction and phone number change. So if someone has editing abilities change the Redmond to Everett and the phone to my cell number 425 894 1123

[giardiniere]

tatermater said:

So if someone has editing abilities change the Redmond to Everett and the phone to my cell number 425 894 1123

Done.