Sekaiichi tomato
 

In the next few days, I shall receive some Sekaiichi seeds from Japan (maybe too late to grow them successfully this season). It is said that they are a specialty from the Tokyo region, red, round, about 200 - 300 grams. Has anybody grown them yet? What about the taste?

Something strange I found when googling the variety (but perhaps I didn't understand it quite well): Male blossoms of this variety are sterile??

Thanks for every advice and info! clara

[quote=clara;211825]In the next few days, I shall receive some Sekaiichi seeds from Japan (maybe too late to grow them successfully this season). It is said that they are a specialty from the Tokyo region, red, round, about 200 - 300 grams. Has anybody grown them yet? What about the taste?

Something strange I found when googling the variety (but perhaps I didn't understand it quite well): Male blossoms of this variety are sterile??

Thanks for every advice and info! clara[/quote]

Clara, I've never heard of it but you've done the Googling, etc., but I think I can tell you why it's not well known.

Varieties with male sterile blossoms means that no fruits will be set unless you individvuially pollinate them with pollen from elsewhere, which I doubt mnany folks would do. No male sexual structures of one kind of another makes for a sterile male, thus no pollen.

Varieties with male sterile blossoms are almost always used in the tomato breeding industry when creating new commercial hybrids so that they apply the desired pollen for that new F1 hybrid and not have to be concerned with emasculation of the pollen bearing anthers which is a very time consuming and expensive process.

There are many tomato breeding companies in Japan, probably in the Tokyo area and I'm thinking of Sakata and now I can't think of the others ones, but there are several very well known ones.:)

I received Sekai Ichi seeds from Japan and also from England. Both spelled it as I did in the first sentence -2 words. No information from either source about taste or what color or size. Have seedlings started and hope to grow it this year.

[quote=kygreg;211843]I received Sekai Ichi seeds from Japan and also from England. Both spelled it as I did in the first sentence -2 words. No information from either source about taste or what color or size. Have seedlings started and hope to grow it this year.[/quote]

Did your information also say that this variety had male sterile blossoms as Clara noted in her post?

Carolyn, I got no information from either source. After receiving the seeds from England. I emailed the only SSE listing member from Japan requesting information about 2 varieties - Amakko and Sekai Ichi. I did not get a reply and assumed the email did not get through or went into his spam folder. About 2 weeks later I received an envelope with seeds for both the varieties wrapped in tissue paper and labled. He was very gracious in doing this but there was no note or information with the seeds.

here is a (translated) link:
[URL="http://translate.google.ca/translate?hl=en&sl=ja&u=http://noguchiseed.com/hanbai/tane/shosai/1023.html&ei=vey8TYS_I5LSsAOTo8y_BQ&sa=X&oi=translate&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CCoQ7gEwAQ&prev=/search%3Fq%3D%25E4%25B8%2596%25E7%2595%258C%25E4%25B8%2580%25E3%2583%2588%25E3%2583%259E%25E3%2583%2588%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dsafari%26rls%3Den%26prmd%3Divns"]http://translate.google.ca/translate?hl=en&sl=ja&u=http://noguchiseed.com/hanbai/tane/shosai/1023.html&ei=vey8TYS_I5LSsAOTo8y_BQ&sa=X&oi=translate&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CCoQ7gEwAQ&prev=/search%3Fq%3D%25E4%25B8%2596%25E7%2595%258C%25E4%25B8%2580%25E3%2583%2588%25E3%2583%259E%25E3%2583%2588%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dsafari%26rls%3Den%26prmd%3Divns[/URL]
An older open pollinated variety in Japan, green shouldered.

Thank you all!

Carolyn, what you said in your reply is exactly what I had found, but you said it more clearly (to me).

dokutaaguriin, thanks a lot for the link! I shall have a closer look at this seed company later on.

kygreg, I think I shall wait till next season with growing Sekai Ichi ( I got it written in one word) and perhaps you can tell me at the end of this season whether it's worth to be grown.

Once more: Thank you! clara

Here is the Japanese name
世 界　 一
se kai　ichi
world one

In Japanese, it is all one word. Probably translated as "world's (best tomato)"

Jeff

Sorry, but I'm still a bit confused.

If this variety has male sterile blossoms as Clara noted, I can't see it as being a popular variety grown by home growers since the blossoms would have to be hand pollinated, each and every one.

Opinions/comments?

Carolyn, I'm confused, too and therefore I will wait and ask kygreg later in this season about his experiences.

Jeff, thank you so much for the translation! As I'll get my seeds from a Japanese woman, I now understand why she wrote the name in one word. When I googled it, I wrote it in one word, too.

Carolyn, I've just found the article in German (sorry, I'll be looking for the English version):

[url]http://www.patent-de.com/19940505/DE68911833T2.html[/url]

As I'm no biologist, it's difficult to understand, even in German... clara

Clara, will definitely share my Sekai Ichi experience with you if the seedling and plant make it. I grow about 100 varieties, but only one plant for almost all the varieties. If it depends on me to had fertilize it; I don't think it will be a very successful grow out.

Thanks in advance, kygreg! clara

Sekai Ichi seedling pic
 

The seedling is looking very healthy at this point. Its about 6" high at this point. The Dr. P bottle is for size reference but I think I set it on higher ground.

edit; sorry pic did not load

trying pic again
 

had to resize it

Thanks, kygreg! I'm already curious about your experiences concerning taste etc. I shall wait till next year because it's too late for this season. Good luck! clara