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Post by johno on Oct 1, 2007 23:27:33 GMT -5
Two things: I wonder how many of us plan to develop local strains of Alan's Astronomy Domine? And what are your strategies? Breeding this vegetable can be cornfusing, so I wonder what others' thoughts are.  |
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Post by bluelacedredhead on Oct 1, 2007 23:37:22 GMT -5
I'm growing it next year but I have the climate that Alan has developed this for...cool, sometimes wet, short season...WAit, Johno, you do too!!!
Do you know where the name for Astronomy Domine came from??
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Post by johno on Oct 3, 2007 9:58:11 GMT -5
Alan says the name came from an old Pink Floyd song.
My season is quite long (April through October,) but you never know if it's gonna be wet, cool dry, or extremely hot...
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Post by Alan on Oct 3, 2007 12:06:56 GMT -5
Well, the genetics are definetly in this sweet corn for cool, short season weather with some of the short season primitve sweet corns like black mexican, black puckers ext. But there are also some genetics from some sweet corns from the south-west which we obtained through native seeds search so hopefully you will get the best of both worlds! I planted the parent stock in late april when the ground was still cool here and the only kind of corn I was willing to put into the ground (other than this) was Seneca Arrowhead. I figured whatever didn't emerge wasn't going to be cold tolerant so no big loss, then we went on to have one of the hottest and driest summers in 50 years or more and the corn produce well and made nice ears.
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Post by johno on Oct 3, 2007 15:34:45 GMT -5
So, Alan, we talked a little about adding even more genes to the mix (jeepers!) I've been looking into white sweet corns, and Argent and Silver King keep coming up at the top of the list. If I remember right, they are both sugary enhanced homozygous. Are there already some se genes in Astronomy Domine? Or is it all su? Also, I believe I have a pack of Inca Rainbow - would that be good to throw in the mix? As far as strategy goes, would it be best to combine anything like that now, or keep A.D. "pure," so to speak, until it stabilizes, then add the white or rainbow colors in?
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Post by johno on Oct 3, 2007 15:37:31 GMT -5
Oh yeah, I was also wondering... what was the method of combining these varieties in the first place? Did you mix all the seed up, then plant in a random fashion? Or was there a deliberate pattern? I'm curious what the odds are...
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Post by Alan on Oct 3, 2007 17:18:09 GMT -5
Randomosity was the method, mix it up, put it out, let it do it's thing, that's where I was coming from with the idea anyhow. Personally I would go ahead and add in the Rainbow Inca sweet corn now, just another set of genes to "play with" and select from.
The corn has both the SE and the SU genes in it's lineage. All of the primitive corns were SU types. One of the parents, Ruby Queen, is a SE type.
Next year you should still end up with some SE genes, after that they will more than likely taper off (provided you aren't adding to the gene pool), however you will probably be adding to the gene pool every year.
Personally I think I'll plant every other row, that is, one row AD, One Row Silver King which I will detassle, that way I get the nice ear that Silver King has and Silver Kings disease tolerance with the color of Astronomy Domine.
I think I might have to trade and or buy some Painted Hills and some Rainbow Inca to add to my mix next year.
-alan
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Post by bluelacedredhead on Oct 4, 2007 7:35:03 GMT -5
You know Alan, instead of naming all your corn varieties after tunes by great bands like Rush and Floyd, you should go into breeding Beans... I'm sure you've heard the saying Beans Beans the Musical Fruit? The more you eat the more you Toot  |
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Post by johno on Oct 4, 2007 13:33:49 GMT -5
Bishop's Select 1812 Overture Beans...
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Post by Alan on Oct 4, 2007 23:28:41 GMT -5
nice one blue  Is that a polite way of saying I am full of something? Just kidding. Anyhow, I do actually have some local heirloom beans i'll be growing out next year to share with my friends here, so in essence I will be passing the gas in good time. -Alan |
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Post by bluelacedredhead on Oct 5, 2007 8:44:34 GMT -5
In these days of high fuel prices, the search for renewable energy sources is welcome, LOL
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Post by Alan on Oct 6, 2007 22:36:19 GMT -5
True, and if only I could power something in that method. Does making Kim run away from the couch count? |
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Post by Alan on Oct 8, 2007 19:05:23 GMT -5
Hey Johno, I just thought I would add that you hit my obsesive compulsive nerve and got me interested in adding in even more diversity, so guess what I just did?
Bought 200 seeds of painted Hills (painted mountain x luther hill) and Rainbow Inca (200 seeds), both are breeding projects of Alan Kapular so should be interesting when thrown into AD, which I will be doing in the spring time.
-Alan Bishop
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Post by johno on Oct 8, 2007 23:26:00 GMT -5
I didn't realize Rainbow Inca was one of his? I got some reading to do on this guy...
Rainbow Inca has some lighter colors that I think will complement Astronomy Domine in its present state.
Another thing I was wondering - how near are the maturity dates of A.D.'s parents?
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Post by Alan on Oct 9, 2007 0:04:56 GMT -5
some are a bit early and short season, I weeded a lot of this material out because it didn't pollinate on time or fully, but what I did do was replant it at a latter date and got some good cross pollination from the earlier types with the later types, however one thing that would be smart to do is when you re-plant (which is inebitable unless you plant to heavy or have terrific luck and don't loose any plants/miss any spots) re-plant mostly blue keranels as most of the blue kernels are the early corns and you will get better integration of their genes and the later corns this way.
As a side not, the story behind Alan Kapulars cross of rainbow inca is quite interesting, it seems he was living in a commune in southern oregon where he had previously grown a number of different types of corn (sweet, flint, flower), he picked out his favorite 12 ears to plant the next year, planting one row of each type in one block or field, due to moles he got a poor stand and had to replant some of the corn, he hadn't marked his rows so just mixed up all the corns which meant he got crosses accross all different spectrums of corns and maturity dates. One of the corns he had planted was a large kerneled south american parching type which showed a few nice color variations that he chose to grow the next year, after a few years of selection he came up with rainbow inca and offered it through the SSE yearbook.
-Alan
Who is now determined to breed the most genetically diverse sweet corn ever!
maybe i'll call it Frankenstein instead?
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