Orange-pod Gene in Peas

[keen101 (Biolumo / Andrew B.)]

So i posted a few post in some other threads about the Orange-pod gene that i have found listed in the JIC database and in the Gatersleben gene bank that interested me a few years ago. It wasn't until this year i was able to receive some seeds and grow it for the first time. I will first repost the only photo i could find online about it and then i will post some of the photos i've been able to take of the ones in my garden this year.

The Orange-pod gene (orp) really looks like an interesting trait and one well worth exploring and doing some crosses with. Particularly in an effort to improve the beauty of yellow-podded and red-podded peas. The orange pod gene seems to be on the inside of the pod as opposed to the whole pod itself. It has been suggested that it is linked to pod fiber and therefore would disappear in snow or snap peas, but i don't know if this is confirmed or if that linkage could be broken. One interesting thing to note is that while the yellow-podded gene (gp) in general seems to wash out or turn light green as it's pods mature, the orange-pod gene (orp) seems to be the opposite it seems to get darker orange as time goes on and is even is apparent and shines through on green pods. So one wonders if it would work in a yellow-podded base and produce a nice true golden-podded pea that maintains it's yellow color for longer. If it does then this could prove to be an interesting trait for both yellow-podded and red-podded projects.

Also, one of the photo's shows a bunch of pods in a pile which make for a nice photo, but i did not pick those. Some animal seemed to have targeted the orange pods and picked most of them off, but for some reason found them to be unpalatable and left them there. I'm not even sure what kind of animal would do that. These plants were fairly dwarf so perhaps a rabbit.

Orange-pod photo from the JIC


Orange-pod photo's from my garden this year:

[steev]

Re the peapod pile: any small kids around?

[keen101 (Biolumo / Andrew B.)]

Jun 21, 2016 13:51:06 GMT -5 steev said:

Re the peapod pile: any small kids around?

Not really. Not without small children climbing a chain fence, which while not impossible seems unlikely. There is a new baby rabbit in the yard though. And deer have been known to visit the yard at night. But now that you mention it there were a few other peas that were picked off the same way last week (just not in the same quantity). There was a small amount of animal poop left behind that had lots of seeds in it. Perhaps bear poop. Black bears are known to visit our grape vine in the fall. But i've never heard about bears eating peas. haha, but you never know.

[steev]

I'd not expect rabbits, deer, or bear to "stockpile" rather than eat as found; some birds and squirrels will stash food, but mostly individually, rather than gathering food in the open and then putting it in a central stash; that approach would maximize the potential for some other critter to rip them off. The height from which the pods were taken might be a clue. I still lean to a kid; looks like something I might have been tempted to do up to age 8/9, not that I'd have left them, unless scared off; actually, always having pockets, I'd not have left them even if scared off. Therefore, I deduce that they were picked by a scaredy-cat pocket-less young girl.

Don't thank me; solving mysteries is what I do; people don't call me "Sherlock" for nothing (usually a small cash exchange is required).

[keen101 (Biolumo / Andrew B.)]

haha. funny steve.

..Though your probably just using the story as something to joke about i feel i should make clear just in case that i'm the one that put them in the pile for the photo. So your keen senses of human involvement are not off base. They were just scattered on the ground next to the plants themselves when i found them. One was a half-eaten pod left there as well. I suspect whatever or whomever was eating them did not find the pods all that palatable and found the plants themselves more tasty.

[steev]

So you're saying the plants were somewhat eaten, but the pods discarded? That does sound like a critter; tracks or scat near?

[keen101 (Biolumo / Andrew B.)]

I havn't done any pollinations with these yet. Might try next year. It's been fun watching the half-purple peas this year which are all likely crosses from last years efforts. I had very little energy to attempt many pea crosses this year, but i think i got one pod of Purple Passion x Mighty Midget which is a cross i've hoped to do for a few years now. I got three seeds.

Half of my peas seem like they are done as some of them seem to have the precocious yellowing gene which turns them yellow as the pods are maturing (which is a trait i absolutely hate in peas). Sugaree (snap), Joseph's red, Joseph's yellows, and Green Beauty are all peas that are precocious yellowing. Some of the others though still have fairly green foliage and still making pods, so i will try to keep tabs on those varieties. Biskopens, and the Mummy type peas look the most resilient in that regard. And i think i may have several Biskopens crosses this year as many of them produced pods about the same time as the other peas as opposed to starting pods in july. If so, i'm very happy about that.

[philagardener]

I think that precocious yellowing gene must be in Golden Sweet - I was just noticing it doing that earlier today.

Biskopens gets the prize in my garden for being the latest blooming pea. It seems to be more resilient to the heat - unusual, given its Swedish origins!