[Tom Wagner]

To Gobig,

Which two to cross and who should the mom be?

Which two to cross? That is a question that prompts a subjective and objective answer. I don't have either.

Who should the mom be? Again, I don't know. If you have a favorite, use it as a female parent if you make only one cross, male if you want to make numerous crosses. It is a lot easier to take a jigger of pollen from that fave and pollinate every variety you can.

I try to use as the female the one that has the most obvious recessives in order make determining the efficacy of the hybrid a no-brainer.

Contingency is the operative word when making hybrids. When I cross I also purposely self the flower from which I get the pollen. I then cross to all the candidates in mind. If in this case using Spudakee, for example, I place high importance for creating hybrids of it. Below is the scenario:




Spudakee X Spudakee
KBX X Spudakee
Ed's Millenium X Spudakee
Mexico X Spudakee
Cherokee Green X Spudakee
Indian Stripe X Spudakee
Brandyboy F1 X Spudakee
Heatwave II F1 x Spudakee

But if KBX is my fave, the scenario is like this:

Spudakee X KBX
KBX X KBX
Ed's Millenium X KBX
Mexico X KBX
Cherokee Green X KBX
Indian Stripe X KBX
Brandyboy F1 X KBX
Heatwave II F1 X KBX

Or is Ed's Millenium the guy?


Spudakee X Ed's Millenium
KBX X Ed's Millenium
Ed's Millenium X Ed's Millenium
Mexico X Ed's Millenium
Cherokee Green X Ed's Millenium
Indian Stripe X Ed's Millenium
Brandyboy F1 X Ed's Millenium
Heatwave II F1 X Ed's Millenium

Or is it Mexico?

Spudakee X Mexico
KBX X Mexico
Ed's Millenium X Mexico
Mexico X Mexico
Cherokee Green X Mexico
Indian Stripe X Mexico
Brandyboy F1 X Mexico
Heatwave II F1 X Mexico

The pattern emerges, I can make 8 selfs and 56 reciprocal crosses. Now if I plant those 8 selfed lines and all 56 crosses next year and want to cross them again, I will get 8 selfs, 56 F-2 families, and 4,032 reciprocal F-1's

I could simplify it and bulk the pollen from each of your eight varieties and cross this pollen to each of the 8 parents. I would get all of the crosses and the OP's too, all 64 types. You wouldn't know which was which unless you knew something of the genetics involved. One could make it interesting by either saving each cross separate and/or bulking each of those eight crosses. If (MOM) is important to you, sow the seed from that fruit as a family, as you have every cross possible of that female parent. A neat thing about bulking is that you grow many of these hybrids by elimination of the selfing pollen but it would mean mixing 8 different vials of pollen of seven pollen parents each time omitting a pollen line that will be used on that same plant. Growing enough of those 56 possible reciprocals the next year and bulking the pollen again for crossing to each plant, the diversity is increased exponentially.

Female parent X Bulk pollen (Spudakee, KBX, Ed's Millenium,Mexico, Cherokee Green, Indian Stripe,Brandyboy F1, Heatwave II F1)

Breeding is a numbers game; it can be done as small as you want, or as large as you can manage. Controlled crosses are very satisfying since many of us want certainty of pedigree info. But if quantitatively searching for diversity, the bulking of known pollen parents is desirable on many levels.

Using a Punnett Square garden design of eight varieties aids in defining certainty of all crosses being performed. Eight varieties, eight plants of each, each one crossed only once. That way you don't have to think which cross or reciprocal was done or not done. Draw a table of 8 by 8 and eliminate the diagonal line going from the uppper left hand side to the lower right hand side (indicating selfs). Then go cross!

Tom Wagner