Blood Brothers corn.

[showmedseeds]

I read a comment in another thread that mentioned Blood Brothers corn. Could those that have grown this variety please post some information about the variety including:

Location grown.
Approximate days to maturity (dry).
Stalk strength.
Any disease issues.

Thanks so much,

Stuart

[Alan]

Pugs was kind enough to share his blood brothers seed with me last season and then I purchased some more from Abundant Life Seeds (A great company I might add!).


Munk Bergin was very genious with the development of this corn in my opinion.

I grew a small patch, maybe 150 plants or so, in some soil which had been built up over the previous four years which was very high in organic content.

Stalks reach about 5 feet, usually 2 ears to the stalk, 8 rows, starting off bi-color, turning an earthy red at maturity. During milk stage it was an excellent OP sweet corn, I didn't mill any because I want to increase seed this season, but I did eat some post milk stage and the starch content was way up there, firm, very tasty.

I do believe that this corn became a part of the corn that I released this season called two headed dog, I stagered the time between patches, but they were very close to one another and I know I got some crosses and I know I got some of the color of Blood Brothers in two headed dog.

The stalk strength was very strong, I never had any break off during the season which is saying something considering the strong winds we had many times this year, I also noticed that the seed germinated excellently in some very cool soils.

I would call this an "elite" germplasm line for those interested in breeding, when it comes to amateur breeding and "results" this one fits the bill, I never noticed any disease or pollination issues either. I would rate this one right up there with Painted Mountain.

Out of the many corns I've worked with over the past several years very few reach the status I give this one.

painted mountain
blood brothers
Vadito Blue (after some selection to fix some inbreeding and lodging problems)
Bloody Buthcher
UK Tuxpeno

Those are the elite lines that I plan on working closer with in the future.

Edited to add: 70-75 DTM for Milk Stage, 90-100 at most, for dry mature seed.

Grow this one!

[darwinslair]

I would like to do work much like David did with painted mountain, but bring back in the other Mandan/Hidatsa.Arikara varieties, along with something like Mojave to optimize for my area (not a mountain) short seasons and drought. I assume things like Bear Island are within the gene pool of of Painted Mountain, but Bear Island produces a little more heavily.

I like the option of a longer season corn like Bloody Butcher in so much that I can plant at the same time and NOT have it cross. In a short year though I might lose that crop.

I am looking for milk stage at 45-50 days, mature at 55-60, and dry at 75-80

But a bit shorter season than you Alan.

Tom

[showmedseeds]

Thanks, Alan.

Thanks, and hello again, Tom.

I actually talked to Dave Christensen once about Painted Mountain, and he said that stalk strength was a trait that could use some improvement. So I'm glad to hear that Blood Brothers is better in this department.

I would like to trial a few corns next spring, including Blood Brothers.

I'm considering other varieties that are all short season, such as Northwestern Red Dent, and some of the Italian flints in the U.S.D.A collection.

What type of results should one expect when crossing a flour corn with a flint or semi-dent?

Thanks,

Stuart

[canadamike]

I would say a flint/dent corn, both on the ear. Do you have Dave Christensen phone number in Montana, I badly need to talk to him...

Even Painted Mountain is almost that type of corn. Most seeds look like flour corn, almost all in fact, but starch content vary greatly from one kernel to another, it is a flour/starchy flint corn, strong predominance flour. But in Europe, where my buddies have done many of these crosses, most of their varieties are fint/semi flint/dent corns.

[showmedseeds]

Mike,

Email me at garden [at] giftofcorn [dot] com.

Stuart

[Alan]

Dec 27, 2009 14:13:29 GMT -5 showmedseeds said:

Thanks, Alan.

Thanks, and hello again, Tom.

I actually talked to Dave Christensen once about Painted Mountain, and he said that stalk strength was a trait that could use some improvement. So I'm glad to hear that Blood Brothers is better in this department.

I would like to trial a few corns next spring, including Blood Brothers.

I'm considering other varieties that are all short season, such as Northwestern Red Dent, and some of the Italian flints in the U.S.D.A collection.

What type of results should one expect when crossing a flour corn with a flint or semi-dent?

Thanks,

Stuart

Stuart, it all depends on what your going to select for, in the first few Filial generations your gonna get all the variations possible, from there it's a matter of selecting for the type of corn you want to breed from.

[Alan]

Showmeseeds,

it was wonderful to speak to you on the phone this morning about the many varied topics we covered my friend and I look forward to doing business with you in the future. Sorry I was still a bit asleep when we spoke and so my brain between sleep and a cold wasn't firing on all cylanders but I suppose I came off ok.


Anyhow, I was looking at Dave Christiansons The Seed We Need site and looking at his breeding methods, I was happy to read the detail he has put into all of this.

With my sweet corn Genepool I've been using Reccurent mass selection via the stratification method but after reading a bit more about his modified seed to row methods I think in the coming years that's where I'll be heading with my corn projects, perhaps it will take a bit more time but the lessons learned and the gain made will make it worthwhile.

For anyone who has not checked out this web-site, be sure to do so.

www.seedweneed.com

[canadamike]

Stuart, the e-mails keep coming back without you gettting them...

[showmedseeds]

Mike,

I can't see any problems on my end of the email problem. However, you might try my other account, afewgoodplants [at] gmail.com .

Stuart