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Old April 23, 2020   #1
ScottinAtlanta
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Default What causes seedlings without growing tip?

Here is an example - I had four out of 600 of these seedlings without any growing tip at all. They just sit there and produce a few leaves. What causes that?
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Old April 23, 2020   #2
GoDawgs
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Wow, I have one of these for the first time ever! I was going to ask here but you beat me to it. Can't wait to hear a reason.

Edited to say that Pickles wondered if anything would happen if I cut that leaf/stem off. So I did as it will get tossed anyway.

Last edited by GoDawgs; April 23, 2020 at 09:47 AM.
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Old April 23, 2020   #3
RayR
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It's called Shoot Apical Meristem Arrest
It is believed to be caused by genetic abnormalities or environmental factors. I guess that means no one knows exactly.

Shoot Apical Meristem Arrest in Brassica and Tomato

Last edited by RayR; April 23, 2020 at 10:18 AM.
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Old April 23, 2020   #4
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I find this sometimes happens with older seed .......
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Old April 23, 2020   #5
slugworth
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eventually it will produce,I wouldn't toss it out.
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Old April 23, 2020   #6
clkeiper
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I was just planting turnips I started and had one of these. I have seen a few peppers do this also. must not be just tomatoes.
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Old April 23, 2020   #7
Fusion_power
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Apical meristem arrest is associated with 2 things in tomato. One is old seed. I have several hundred of these this year as I planted a bunch or 8 to 10 year old seed. The other factor is genetics with inter-species crosses the culprit. I've got quite a bit of seed that are from inter-species crosses. This often shows up in those varieties. One example is Burgundy Traveler which will often produce seedlings with no growing point even with fresh seed.
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Old May 26, 2020   #8
kr222
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I had this happen to all three of the Lillian's Yellow tomatoes I started this year. The seed was from 2008, germinated quickly, but stalled with just two healthy cotyledons. I planted them in honor of my grandmother, Lillian. Disappointing to say the least, but you confirmed my suspicions. I figured it might be due to age.
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Old May 26, 2020   #9
Farmette
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Had that happen with Redfield Beauty...looked like that for weeks. Just recently, it started a growing tip and looks like it will be a viable tomato plant.
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Old May 26, 2020   #10
Fusion_power
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It is variety dependent, but quite a few of these type seedlings will eventually produce a growing tip. The plant is viable, but usually too late to be a prime garden candidate. I have resurrected quite a few varieties by this method from old seed.
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Old May 26, 2020   #11
ScottinAtlanta
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After four weeks, no growing tip. I just tossed it out - plenty of other tomatoes in the pots!
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Old May 29, 2020   #12
eyolf
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Fusion_power View Post
It is variety dependent, but quite a few of these type seedlings will eventually produce a growing tip. The plant is viable, but usually too late to be a prime garden candidate. I have resurrected quite a few varieties by this method from old seed.
I planted some "Heshpole" from 2008 that exhibited a lot of this, and out of curiosity, got about 4/50 of the Fusion f5 from 2004 to germinate after a bleach soak. All 4 of the f5's grew into "deadheads", but one of them has just this week offerred a little sprout from between the (now dying) cotyledons.

I assumed it was the bleach soak damaging the tiny baby in the seed. I tried a few with a Peroxide treatment (different variety...Lycoprea 2007) and achieved a similar result, but those seemed to sprout a growing tip after only about 10 days.

Lycoprea is a very early, small rugose-potato-leaf variety that offers ping-pong-ball pink fruits. I put them in hanging baskets and gave them away to friends and family. All are blossoming, and one has set fruit.

I was very pleased to get a half-dozen viable starts.

Now that I have lost the point, perhaps it wasn't the bleach or peroxide soaks damaging seed...but just seed on the edge of inviability sped along by the soak.

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Old June 2, 2020   #13
Dutch
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ScottinAtlanta View Post
Here is an example - I had four out of 600 of these seedlings without any growing tip at all. They just sit there and produce a few leaves. What causes that?
Hi Scott, The growing tips (terminal ends) may have been eaten by "Chilli Thrips".
Check this out; https://www.lsuagcenter.com/profiles...e1469030428468
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Old June 19, 2020   #14
slugworth
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Fresh saved seed from last year,1 tomato plant like that out of about 36 of indigo blue variety.
Never saw that before.
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Old July 12, 2020   #15
slugworth
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I ended up with 3 plants with no growing tip.
Progress after about 1 month.
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