Vegetable Improvement Newsletter No. 22, February 1980

Compiled by H.M. Munger, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York

1. Some Germplasm of Rheum rhaponticum and Related Species

David W. Davis

Dept. of Horticultural Science and Landscape Architecture, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN 55108

The University of Minnesota has for many years maintained a sizeable collection of rhubarb types brought together by the late Arthur E. Hutchins and possibly others, beginning in the late 1920's.  A few partial crowns can be made available to anyone genuinely interested in breeding and evaluation.

Included are about 43 named cultivars, 3 vigorous species other than R. rhaponticum, and 10 University of Minnesota numbered selections (Table 1). Nearly all entries were collected between 1927 and 1942. Some were gathered from more than one source and are represented 2 to 3 times in the collection. For example, there are 3 'Ruby' entries, one from the late A.F. Yeager and 2 from what was known in 1928 as the Dominion Experimental Farm, Ottawa.

Some of the entries were brought in as seed and therefore may not be true to type. It is not clear in these cases whether or not selection followed establishment. However, within the collection there does not seem to be variation from crown to crown within "cultivar" even where seed was used originally.

There is good phenotype diversity in the collection. As expected, there is great variation in vigor and petiole color, with the most vigorous types generally showing less of the red petiole character. 'Elmsfeur' has very dark red petioles but the petioles are small and fairly fibrous. 'Mammoth', 'Cyclope' and 'New Zealand' are 3 especially vigorous types with fair quality. They have been used for forcing.

Some of the high quality entries include 'Canada Red', 'Ruby', 'Crimson Delicious' and Minnesota #4. Many others, such as 'MacDonald Crimson' and 'Valentine' are also good. The latter is probably the best for freezing.

Table 1 also summarizes information on flowering as % seed stalk formation over a 3-year period. While flowering does vary somewhat with year, and probably also from one growing region to another, there should be some useful diversity in the collection for improving this character.

The numbered University of Minnesota clones were selected by Dr. Hutchins out of selfed seedling progenies from 'Ruby'.  Selections 2 and 4 seem superior to the other 7 with #2 having relatively good vigor and #4 a good combination of vigor, quality and low tendency for flowering.

Table 1. Flowering tendency of some Rheum germplasm.

2. Breeding Lettuce for Virus Resistance

R.W. Robinson, R. Provvidenti and J.W. Shail

New York State Agricultural Experiment Station, Geneva, NY 14456

The most prevalent viruses in New York lettuce fields are cucumber mosaic, broad bean wilt, and lettuce mosaic virus, in that order. A breeding program is underway at Geneva, New York, to incorporate resistance to each of these viruses into lettuce viruses.  Vanguard 75 is being used to provide genes for resistance to LMV and BBWV, and Lactuca saligna is being used as a source of resistance to CMV.

A major problem we have encountered is distinguishing between resistant and susceptible plants for each virus in the winter greenhouse. Symptoms are often indistinct on inoculated susceptible plants grown at low light intensity, even though recovery tests indicated they were infected. This obstacle was overcome and reliable differentiation between susceptible and resistant germplasm was achieved by mechanically inoculating twice with a high titre mixture of isolates for each virus, providing the plants with supplemental illumination, maintaining a high level of mineral nutrition, and following a temperature regime of 25 degrees Celsius during a 7 day incubation period after inoculation and 10 degrees Celsius thereafter.

An additional problem is the recent discovery of a new strain of CMV in lettuce fields near Oswego, New York, that is able to infect L. saligna, our present source of CMV resistance. A search is in progress to locate a source of resistance to this new strain of CMV.

3. Uncatalogued Vegetable Varieties Available for Trial in 1980

This list is aimed at facilitating the exchange of information about potential new varieties, or new varieties which have not yet appeared in catalogues. Persons conducting vegetable variety trials who wish seed of items on this list should request samples from the sources indicated.

It is the responsibility of the person sending out seed to specify that it is for trial only, or any other restriction he may want to place on its use.

Crops are listed alphabetically. For each entry the following information is given: Designation, source of trial samples, outstanding characteristics, variety suggested for comparison (not given separately if mentioned in description), status of variety (preliminary trial, advanced trial, to be released, or released) and contributor of information if different from source of trial samples. Where several samples are listed consecutively from on source, the address is given only for the first.

• Bean
  • Footlong. M. LeRon Robbins, Clemson University Coastal Experiment Station, P.O. Box 30158, Charleston, SC 29407. Pole bean. High edible quality; a degree of resistance to Rhizoctonia rots. Compare to Dade. To be released.
• Beet
  • Warrior. T. Superak, Joseph Harris Co., Inc., Moreton Farm, Rochester, N.Y. 14624. Early maturing smooth globe with excellent color and quality. Compare to Early Wonder. Named and catalogued. (R.O. Wilkins).
• Cabbage
  • 51017. T. Superak, Joseph Harris Co., Inc., Moreton Farm, Rochester, N.Y. 14624. Black rot and fusarium yellows resistant. 3 lb. slightly flattened market type. Compare to Market Topper. To be released. (R.O. Wilkins).
  • 5105B. T. Superak. Black rot and fusarium yellows resistant. 5 lb. slaw or market type. Compare to Sanibel. To be released. (R.O. Wilkins).
  • 5132a. T. Superak. Black rot and fusarium yellows resistant. 3 lb. round market type. Compare to Market Prize. Advanced trial. (R.O. Wilkins).
• Carrot
  • Javelin 80. R.L. Engle, Dessert Seed Co., Inc., P.O. Box 9008, Brooks, Oregon 97305. Hybrid Imperator type carrot. Good color and uniform. Compare to Imperator 58 and Trophy. To be released.
• Collard
  • America. M. LeRon Robbins, Clemson University Coastal Experiment Station, P.O. Box 30158, Charleston, SC 29407. Resistant to downy mildew. Compare to Georgia LS. To be released.
  • Header. M. LeRon Robbins. Resistant to downy mildew. Compare to Morris Heading. To be released.
• Cucumber
  • Garden. M. LeRon Robbins, Clemson University Coastal Experiment Station, P.O. Box 30158, Charleston, SC 29407. Dual purpose (slicer-pickler), particularly suited for home gardens. Compare to Addis. To be released.
  • Marketsett. M. LeRon Robbins. Uniform green fruit color, multiple disease resistance. Compare to Marketmore 76, Pacer, and Poinsett 76. To be released.
  • Slice. M. LeRon Robbins. Uniform green fruit color, multiple disease resistance. Compare to Marketmore 76, Pacer, and Poinsett 76. To be released.
  • Poinmarket. M. LeRon Robbins. Uniform green fruit color, multiple disease resistance. Compare to Marketmore 76, Pacer, and Poinsett 76. To be released.
• Eggplant
  • D2T. T. Superak, Joseph Harris Co., Inc., Moreton Farm, Rochester, N.Y. 14624. Early, dark and glossy, slightly more round and later than Dusky. Compare to Dusky or Black Oval. Advanced trial. (R.C. Dumlao).
  • DyJK. T. Superak. Early, productive, nice glossy dark color with green calyx. Compare to Dusky. Advanced trial. (R.C. Dumlao).
• Lettuce
  • Signal. J.D. McCreight, USDA, SEA-AR, P.O. Box 5098, Salinas, CA 93915. Cos type. Earlier maturity, more uniformly maturing, more resistant to bolting, sweet (pleasant) to taste (not bitter). Compare to Parris Island. To be released. (Release notice approved and sent to seed companies and lettuce breeders.)
• Muskmelon
  • PCNVB. T. Superak, Joseph Harris Co., Inc., Moreton Farm, Rochester, N.Y. 14624. Large size, round, deeply ribbed, coarsely netted, tolerant to Fusarium. Compare to Gold Star. To be released.
• Onion
  • D5556. T. Superak, Joseph Harris Co., Inc., Moreton Farm, Rochester, N.Y. 14624. High yield. Compare to Early Yellow Globe. A few days earlier than Early Yellow Globe and will store at least a month longer. Advanced trial.
  • C655. T. Superak. Excellent appearance. Compare to Buccaneer. Advanced trial.
  • D6255. T. Superak. Long storage, high yield, uniform. Mid-season, globe to high globe. Compare to Spartan Sleeper. To be released.
  • EYG #155. R.L. Engle, Dessert Seed Co., Inc., P.O. Box 9008, Brooks, Oregon 97305. Early Yellow Globe Hybrid, high yield. Good keeper. Compare to Encore. To be released.
• Pepper
  • Valley Giant. Paul Orsetti, Goldsmith Seeds, Inc., P.O. Box 1349, Gilroy, CA 95020. Market bell pepper, high yielding, large 3-4 lobe fruit on medium to large frame plant habit with excellent cover. Resistant to tobacco mosaic virus. Compare to Cal Wonder 300. To be released.
• Southern Pea
  • Elite. John L. Bowers, Dept. of Horticulture & Forestry, Univ. of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR 72701. Excellent eating quality, especially on basis of texture and flavor. Compare to Texas Cream 40. Advanced trial.
  • AR197. John L. Bowers. Concentrated pod set and erect pod position. Has a very high level of resistance to bacterial blight and excellent concentration of pod set. Compare to Texas Cream 40. Preliminary trial.
• Spinach
  • AR120. John L. Bowers, Dept. of Horticulture & Forestry, Univ. of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR 72701. Resistance to white rust and winter hardiness. Some level of resistance to Fusarium decline. Savoy type. Compare to Dixie Market. Advanced trial.
  • AR200 x 202. J.L. Bowers. Resistance to white rust, winter hardiness and fast growth for open-pollinated type in seedling stage. Some level of resistance to Fusarium decline. Compare to Dixie Market. To be released.
• Squash
  • 8PC. T. Superak, Joseph Harris Co., Inc., Moreton Farm, Rochester, N.Y. 14624. Resists fruit greening caused by CMV. High yields. Yellow straightneck type. Compare to Seneca Prolific. To be released.
  • Castlepride. Gary Campbell, A.L. Castle, Inc., P.O. Box 279, Hollister, CA 95023. Yellow crookneck with attractive, uniform, very smooth fruits. Modified neck is medium thick and strong. Single stem, open bush type. Maturity - 50 days. Compare to Dixie. To be released. (Fred Angell).
• Sweet Corn
  • Wondersweet A. T. Superak, Joseph Harris Co., Inc., Moreton Farm, Rochester, N.Y. 14624. Extra sweetness and holding ability. The plant is strong and relatively free of tillering. Kernel color is bright yellow and the dark green husk combined with extended holding abilities mean longer shelf life for shipping and market. Compare to Early Extra Sweet. To be released. (Bruce G. Wilkins).
  • Symphony. T. Superak. A combination of tenderness, sweetness and holding ability that is hard to beat. This described as Bicolor-Bisweet, which incorporates the use of the shrunken gene. The contrast between yellow and white kernels is excellent. Compare to Sweet Sue. To be released. (Bruce. G. Wilkins).
• Tomato
  • Quick Pick. Paul Orsetti, Goldsmith Seeds, Inc., P.O. Box 1349, Gilroy, CA 95020. Early, high yielding, indeterminate tomato. Plants produce high yields of medium size, round fruit. Resistant to Verticillium Race I, Fusarium Race II, and nematode and tobacco mosaic virus. Compare to Early Girl. To be released.
  • Perfect Peel. Paul T. Orsetti. Medium size fruit, skin will peel off easily, plant determinant bush in habit. Resistant to Verticillium Race I and Fusarium Race I. Compare to Easy Peel. To be released.
  • Big Pick. Paul T. Orsetti. Firm, round, fruit that holds well on the vine. Indeterminant growth habit. Resistant to Verticillium Race I and Fusarium Race I and II, and tobacco mosaic virus. Compare to Better Boy. To be released.
  • Patio Prize. Paul T. Orsetti. Attractive foliage with abundant fruit production. Compact bush habit. Resistant to nematode. Compare to Patio. To be released.
  • O 7869. S.Z. Berry, Dept. of Horticulture, Ohio Agricultural Research & Development Center, Wooster, Ohio 44691. Outstanding characteristics: I, Ve, sp, u, og^c. Vine compact, main season. Fruit square, firm, crack resistant, hand or machine harvest, 4 oz. size. For whole pack or product. Compare to C37. Preliminary trial.
  • O 7814. S.Z. Berry. Outstanding characteristics: I, sp, u, j². Vine moderately compact. Main season - early. Fruit oval, firm, crack resistant, machine harvest type, 2.5 oz. size. For coreless whole pack or product. Compare to C37. Advanced trial.
  • Castlehy 105. Fred Angell, A.L. Castle, Inc., P.O. Box 279, Hollister, CA 95023. Medium-large, indeterminate vine. Large, firm, smooth fruits with good color, texture and flavor. Hybrid for market and home garden. Ve, F I&II, S. Released.
  • Castle x 1035. Fred Angell. Jointless, very firm market hybrid. Fruits are globe, medium-large, smooth with good color and flavor. Ve, F I&II, S. Suitable for hand and machine harvest. Compare to Flora Dade. To be released.
  • Earlibright. J.G. Metcalf, Smithfield Experimental Farm, P.O. Box 340, Trenton, Ontario, Canada K8V 5R5. Very early, high crimson, good shelf life, suited for garden, fresh market and early processing. Compare to New Yorker. Released.
  • NS201VFN. Neuman Seed Company, P.O. Box 1530, El Centro, CA 92243. Processing hybrid. Medium early, blocky, very firm. Good quality and productive. VFN resistant. Preliminary trial. (Alex M. Lee).
  • Ont 7615E. E.A. Kerr, Horticultural Experiment Station, Box 587, Simcoe, Ontario, Canada N3Y 4N5. Ve u j^-2 sp 70g, square, firm, crack resistant, late, machine harvest for product and possibly whole pack. Compare to Campbell 38. Advanced trial.
  • Ont 773. E.A. Kerr. Ve u sp 125g, round, early, tolerant to metribuzin, hand pick for juice and product. Compare to Veebrite. Advanced trial.
  • Ont 778. E.A. Kerr. Ve I sp u og^c, 152g, oblate, firm, crack resistant, midseason, tolerant to metribuzin, hand pick for product, juice and fresh market. Compare to Campbell 28. To be released.
  • Ont 7921. E.A Kerr. Ve I u sp og^c j^-2, 60g, square, firm, crack resistant, midseason, tiny core and stem scar, thick flesh, machine harvest for whole pack and product. Compare to Campbell 37. Advanced trial.
  • Ontario Pink 774. E.A. Kerr. I, Tm-2^A, Cf-7, Cf unnamed, u y sp+ h/t, 100g, round, smooth, medium firm, good flavor, grows and sets fruit freely under low (13 degrees Celsius) temperatures, greenhouse hybrid. Compare to Ohio MR13. Released.
  • Ontario Red 775. E.A. Kerr. I Tm-2^A, Cf-7, Cf unnamed, u y+ sp+, 133g, round, smooth, firm, good flavor, grows and sets fruit freely under low (13 degrees Celsius) temperatures, greenhouse hybrid. Compare to Vendor. Released.

4. Stocks Desired

Stocks Desired

Request from: E.A. Kerr, Horticultural Experiment Station, Box 587, Simcoe, Ontario, Canada N3Y 4N5.

For: Tomato cultivar 'High C'.

(This cultivar was introduced by A.F. Yeager in the 1940's. Perhaps someone still has a few seeds.)