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Post by stillman on Feb 26, 2014 1:32:47 GMT -5
Hi I am very new to these boards but have had a bit of a look around and found some very interesting information. I am a keen gardener and living in Brisbane Australia I am very fortunate to have some of the best weather most of the year. I am currently very interested in Peruvian corn, these plants are just majestic they grow massive produce huge ears and due to our day length and weather are highly suited to my climate, my issue is that seeds are incredibly hard to come by in Australia most seed suppliers won't supply here due to our restrictive customs/ biosecurity. So as I have 4 or so cultivars of long season corn all from Peru I am considering growing them out in a single bed to promote hybridisation, I can not grow 200 plus plants to stave off inbreeding depression as I do not have access to garden space for the space to grow at optimum conditions I don't have 200 seeds all up of the varieties so I am starting with limited genetics however I imagine these old world varieties may have a little more variation in them compared to sweet corn in the super markets . If I grow out 50 or 60 plants consisting of 4 species of Peruvian corn and select the strongest seed from all varieties do you think I will have enough genetic variation and hybrid vigour to grow another 50 to 60 seeds from these seeds the following year? Any information and imput would be much appreciated. |
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Post by diane on Feb 26, 2014 1:44:57 GMT -5
If you know someone else in the Southern Hemisphere who is also growing Peruvian corn, you could trade some pollen
to increase your variability.
I haven't tried pollinating corn, but shaking tassels onto the silks might work.
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Post by YoungAllotmenteer on Feb 26, 2014 2:29:35 GMT -5
How many growing seasons you get in a year? Could you grow out 50 plants, then another 50 plants (from original seed) in the same year? Then the following year repeat but with the new seed.
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Post by stillman on Feb 26, 2014 2:39:18 GMT -5
I could get two seasons in a year definitely January to April and September to December. Diane my greatest issue is lack of seed genetics, no one grows this in Australia and it is very difficult to import seed through legal means.
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Post by rowan on Feb 26, 2014 3:45:41 GMT -5
I am growing giant white Peruvian this year (I am in Victoria Stillman), they have a very long season but mine are just tasselling now so I should get some ears before our frosts. I also have some black waxy corn if you are interested which doesn't seem to be troubled much with inbreeding depression.
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Post by raymondo on Feb 26, 2014 5:55:53 GMT -5
Also in Oz, I have some white seeded flour corn, which, while not Peruvian, is large and might be worth adding to your mix. YoungAllotmenteer's suggestion of staggering growouts is a good one for someone with limited space. I mix collard growouts to encourage genetic diversity in the mix.
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Post by oxbowfarm on Feb 26, 2014 9:30:39 GMT -5
I would grow out what you can, and add in any seed from outside that you find in future generations. Mixing seed from different grow-outs is a good idea too. Plus you never know when you might find some more land to grow corn on?
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Post by oxbowfarm on Feb 26, 2014 9:53:27 GMT -5
I guess my strongest feeling is always go ahead and try stuff despite any perceived limitations of your soil,climate, growing space, etc. Far too many people never try things that might lead to important discoveries because the books say they can't do it. Especially in the arena of seed saving, people are discouraged from trying things because they don't have the space etc. Don't let perfection become the enemy of the good.
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Post by stillman on Feb 26, 2014 14:33:43 GMT -5
That's great to find some Australians, how many corn plants are you growing? Got any photos?
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Post by stillman on Feb 26, 2014 14:34:43 GMT -5
great advice too Oxbowfarm, thanks for all the responses guys.
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Post by stillman on Feb 26, 2014 16:39:56 GMT -5
Its interesting you say the waxy black variety does not appear to show obvious signs of breeding depression, that's what I am hoping with these traditional Peruvian crop corn, surely they will have a greater variability in their genetics then your mega farm sweet corn, I currently have a 4 Morado maize plants in a tight square bank I only received 4 seeds so that's all I had to work with. My goal is to hand pollinate each plant as best as I can in the hope of getting full kernels. I will then add some of this to my other 3 varieties which I have 10 to 15 seeds of, all are purple/dark seeds. I also have about 40seeds of Jala white corn which I am considering growing out in a block garden near this, however I understand they will have a longer maturity. My 4 Morado plants are all hitting 2 metres with no sigh of tasselling about 40 days old, so don't really know how tall they will get.
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Post by templeton on Feb 27, 2014 0:21:54 GMT -5
Stillman,
I'm in Bendigo, Vic.
One issue you might come up against is different flowering times in the different varieties. This is a good reason to spread your plantings across a couple of seasons - first season lets you work out timing, second season do the crosses.
While the giant Peruvian corn might be just want you want, is there some other characteristic you might want to incorporate, or that wouldn't worry you if it was incorporated? If so, you could plant some other varieties to extend your genetic diversity, then reselect for all the desired phenotypes. You might end up with something unexpected, too. Not sure what your intended end use is, so hard to make suggestions.
The lack of room to grow out decent amounts has made me put corn growing on hold, but best of luck with it, and keep us informed.
T
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Post by raymondo on Feb 27, 2014 4:09:51 GMT -5
Where I am currently I have space to grow out 200 to 300 plants no problem. That comes to an end later this year when I move to my son's place in Dayboro (not far from you I guess). His yard, while bigger than my current one, is steeply sloping and in any case, is his yard. I'd have sweet talk his wife to be allowed to plant 300 corn plants! We'll see what happens.
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Post by stillman on Feb 27, 2014 6:59:07 GMT -5
thanks for the advice guys, Raymondo Dayboro is just down the road. Templeton I'm growing for size I love the giant corn and their massive ears, I think I will try and make the Morado drink out of the dark kernelled type and if I was to get a lot I might try to make some flour or popcorn. I dunno I really enjoy watching them grow so fast.
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Post by stillman on Feb 28, 2014 16:48:48 GMT -5
Hey guys just curiously how tall did your Peruvian corn grow?
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