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Old November 20, 2017   #1
Nan_PA_6b
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Join Date: Dec 2016
Location: Pittsburgh, PA
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Default How to get the taste.

Hi all,

I'm trying to develop a tomato for my mother. She tasted a Hardin's Miniature tomato & said "Now if only they could get that taste in a full-sized tomato!" So I'm trying to make one.

I have a cross of Anna Maria's Heart x Hardin's Miniature. The F1's are growing now. All I really need from AMH is the full sized plant and fruit. After that, it's just selecting for HM's taste. I don't care about fruit color or shape.

Genotypes:
AMH = large fruit, large plant, indeterminate.
HM = small fruit, two sets of dwarf genes, determinate habit, everbearing, perfect taste.

I'm guessing I should do this:

F2: select for large plant & fruit. Cross with HM to get a new F1. Select for large plant.
New F2: select for large plant & fruit. Cross with HM to get new F1. Select for large plant.
Newest F2: select for large plant & fruit. Cross with HM to get new F1.Select for large plant.

etc, till I get something that tastes like HM. Then, stabilize.

I know there will be a lot of interesting stuff popping up along the way and I intend to pursue some of them later, but I was hoping to get this cross done while my mother is still young enough to garden. (She's a spry 87.)

I can grow under lights in winter, and I don't believe I'll need too many of any generation at first since I'm only selecting for large fruit and plant. And the large plant part can be selected during the seedling stage.

Does my plan sound like the best way to go? Advice?

TIA,
Nan

Last edited by Nan_PA_6b; November 20, 2017 at 11:14 AM.
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