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I have seen some crosses where there are up to 4 different male pollinators for one female. What is the reasoning for doing this and do you have the possibility of 4 different genetic lines of seeds in the pumpkin and if so how do you know which is which.

Thanks
Eddy

1/6/2003 8:23:05 PM

Garden State Pumpkins

an interesting discussion Eddy. From what I understand and a newbie myself one pollen per seed is necessary ergo each seed could contain the pollen from each of the male pollinators.so geneticaly they would each be different. While sometimes it a necessity to use more males then you have on one plant to ensure pollenation so some people will collect all the males from the plants to pollenate the females...but if I read the AGGC sites genetic reports correctly there is also the possibility that a good male pollinator may effect pumpkin growth that year...and I doubt anybody can tell the difference from looking at a seed what was the real pollinator...Don't take what I said as hard fact I'm sure some of the big guys here can clarify this better this is just my take on what I've read! Chuck

1/6/2003 9:19:16 PM

Caceres, Spain

That's truth, you can't either know how much percentage of the seeds have the genetics of each male, because you can't know which pollen had the most success during the pollination. That happens to me now, as long as I am planning to plant the 658 Emmons 98, a fabulous seed with huge ones in her offspring: 1111 Emmons 91, 933 Pugh,..., but it has multiple pollinators as well; then, how can I know the male pollinator of the seed I have is the same one as for the seed that produced the 1111? No way to find it out I believe. You have to trust in your hunch.
I imagine the idea of the grower to act this way was to get enough pollen to assure fecundation, more important at that time than thinking in future genetic possibilities.
Don

1/7/2003 4:44:44 AM

Deer Park, WI

Chuck- yer learning! Nice explanation. Using four different pollen sources would indeed produce four different genetic lines. From a genetic standpoint, multiple pollinators produce seeds that cannot be worked with, as there is no way of knowing who the pollinator was. The only practical reason I can think of using mulitple pollinators for is lack of mature males at time of pollination.

1/7/2003 9:20:11 AM

[email protected]

Thanks
Just as I thought:
So much to learn and so little available brain space LOL
Eddy

1/7/2003 5:08:47 PM

Puyallup, WA

Joze,
That is why Geneva Emmons uses multiple pollinators.

1/10/2003 8:44:26 PM