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adampinsky

Genitically modified FlavrSavr Tomatoe seedling-- advisable to hy

Adam Pinsky
22 years ago

I have a seedling of the genetically altred tomatoe "FlavrSavr". I know that it is rather late to start tomato seeds, but this was an accident. It just came up by itself from a pound of rotten "FlavrSavr" tomatoes that had been buried. I had never assumed that I could sprout any seedlings, as I heard that the seeds are sterile, but I got lucky. I compost degradable trash by burying them. Assuming that if I can protect this during the winter, and have a plant this Spring, would you think it is advisable to grow selfed seedlings from this chance seedling? I heard that it is illegal to use the genes of this tomatoe, but I want to hear anther source verifying it.

If it isn't illegal to hybridize this, I would enjoy to learn how to hybridize tomatoes with this seedling. How to do it? I don't see stamins with the pollen. My goal is that to breed this with good tasting non-GE tomatoes such as Heirlooms (Brandywine, Caspian Pink, etc.,.) and long storage tomatoes with a good taste. FlavrSavr has an nasty taste, and that is why I buried in the compost holes. A long lasting good tasting tomatoe would be great.

If this is illegal, I would like to start a thread anyway about this subject. What do you think about GE foods crossed with non-GE foods? What possibilites could arise from this type of marriage, and the ups and downs of it.

Enrique

Comments (15)

  • spanishfli_hotmail_com
    22 years ago

    Ah shot... I wanted to start a thread on this hybridizers fourm, and thought contraversy would surely bring in people. I hadn't seen my name at the end of the message. He, he... I don't have no FlavrSavr seedling, but would love to hear from other people about this idea.

    The true Enrique

  • tom_wagner
    22 years ago

    FlavrSavr tomatoes are no longer available since deemed "dead on the vine" back in 1997. There were several MacGregor strains of FlavrSavr's in production from 1994 to 1997. I was able to sample some of the fruits and visit production areas in California during the heyday.

    The prevailing comments from myself and associates were that the tomato was tasteless and not what the packers were looking for or expected. I recall reviewing one field of FlavrSavr's that was tied up on trellis supports and that it was an odd sight since the variety was a determinate and the fruits suffered sunscald badly.

    Since I was doing some private breeding work for a major tomato packer at the time, my own breeding lines exceeded the quality of the FlavrSavr. However, the tremendous cost of over 500 million dollars in the development of FlavrSavr took it's toll on many in the industry to support breeding work like mine, too. I did, nevertheless, save F-2 seed from FlavrSavr and extended the selfing generations for many years to the point of having true-breeding lines today. I used the true breeding lines in test hybrids and have segregated lines from the primary hybrids. Am I personally impressed with the results? Not terribly! I could go into all the details of the anti sense gene reversal of FlavrSavr and how to detect the genetic linkage in the progeny groups. I am not selling or distributing this seed as I know patent laws prohibit such activities.

    I am surprised that anyone is still interested in the FlavrSavr, but since I am a historian of sort on tomatoes with 48 years experience in breeding, I am pleased to give my two cents' worth of observation to this forum.

    Tom

  • spanishfli_hotmail_com
    22 years ago

    What is your thought about on "Superweeds"? Corn, I assume, could cross over to teosintle, and tomatoes could cross easily with the wild Peruvian cherry types of tomatoes. Has there been any reports on this?

    Enrique

  • spanishfli_hotmail_com
    22 years ago

    Sigh... guess I will have to try harder to get some people in this fourm... I thought people would explode at the thought about this...

    Enrique

  • daulton_columbus_rr_com
    22 years ago

    Enrique:
    As I recall, the characteristic of flavor savor tomatoes was that they kept well, for shipping purposes. While wild tomatoes might pick up that trait, I don't think that would make them "superweeds". Also, as I recall, wild tomatoes are found in South America.

  • tom_wagner
    22 years ago

    "What is your thought about on "Superweeds"? Corn, I assume, could cross over to teosintle, and tomatoes could cross easily with the wild Peruvian cherry types of tomatoes. Has there been any reports on this?"
    Enrique

    Superweeds? Many of us prefer to refer "superweeds" as improved versions of cultivars plus added wild germ plasm. Few of us are trying to out-weed weeds with newer versions. I have crossed teosinte with corn and have had many strains going at one time and it was really fun to do. I am still crossing wild tomatoes with cultivars to introgress additional genes that before were not deemed valuable before. I don't worry about creating "weeds" that might escape, never have and likely, never will.

    Enrigue, there are great places to learn about crossing weeds with cultivars and I am including a link to a such a thing with teosinte here as follows: http://www.dukenews.duke.edu/research/corn.html

    Sorry that we got off the issue of FlavrSavr.

    Tom

  • spanishfli_hotmail_com
    22 years ago

    Hello Tom,

    I've read that article before and found it very exciting. But I assumed that Tripsacum dactyloides X Zea diploperennis would be a bit too far fetched to get fertile hybrids. Isn't T. dactyloides have a higher chormasome count than Z. diploperennis? If it is anything like rose breeding, than most of fertility would have decreased or become sterile. I'm also doing an experiment myself this next summer. I have obtained seeds of Coix lacryma-jobi, also known as Job's Tears, from a trade in India and plan to breed with a few of my corn hybrids, but now that I think about it, I think it would be best if I do C. lacryma-jobi X Z. diploperennis to see what intresting could possibly arise. Both are compatable in chromasome count (C. has forms with 10 chromasomes, but other it is 20) and it is thought that Job's Tears had something part of the heritage of corn.

    Enrique

  • tom_wagner
    22 years ago

    Enrique,

    Even though we are off the FlavSavr discussion, and that we should start a new threaded topic message, I would suggest the readership go to an advanced Google.com search of the terms chromosome, diploperrenis, and dactyloides. I am inserting the link as thus:
    http://www.google.com/search?as_q=+dactyloides+chromosome++diploperennis&num=10&btnG=Google+Search&as_epq=&as_oq=&as_eq=&lr=&as_qdr=all&as_occt=any&as_dt=i&as_sitesearch=&safe=off

    You may find several dozen sites to research and enjoy.

    Tom

  • spanishfli_hotmail_com
    22 years ago

    Thank you very much Tom,

    I have become intrested in the possibility of perennial corn, and have already sought sources of Zea diploperennis. I have sent many emails, letters and telephone messages. I am having trouble of getting gamagrass that is reasonably small packaged. I see most sites are selling by the pound and have certain amount requirements that I have pass to buy. This will be fun as I have never worked with any other corn species but corn.

    Enrique

  • Walter_Pickett
    20 years ago

    Where are you, Enrique? I have Tripsacum dactyloides growing all around me. And I have a plant of the mutant T. dactyloides with all female flowers. That gives about 20 times the number of female flowers to work with.
    Or you could write to the USDA-ARS station at Woodword, Oklaholma, USA, and request seed. They would have the diploid and tetraploid forms, both of the origional and the mutant.
    20 years ago, I was working with Z. diploperennis, T. dactyloides, and their hybrids with each other and domestic corn.
    Dr. Galinat told me that he had no success with crossing Z. diploperennis with T. dactloides. Rather, he had an amphiploid of corn X T. dactloides and pollinated it with Z. diploperennis. He got very good seed set with very good seed germination.
    He gave me 5 seeds from the cross. The resulting sedlings were vigorous, and grew well. But they did not produce rhizomes. Rather, they would keep tillering higher and higher on the stalks, until they climbed out of the ground.
    By re-planting them lower, we could keep them going.
    I never got backcross seeds. Others did.
    Library closing, must go.
    Walter

  • Nallely Espinoza
    7 years ago

    Hello this is Nallely Espinoza from Georgia Gwinnett College and I am a Biotechnology student. I'm I studying about Flavr Savr tomatoes but is hard for me to get seed, especially because it was banded on 1997. However, my team and I we are not breeding the plant we just want to compare the DNA sequence. Would you be Ok by sharing couple seed with us, I can also give you more information about our project and I can guaranty you this is for research purposes.

  • Fredrik Gustavsson
    7 years ago

    Nallely, did you ever find FlavrSavr seed? I'm also looking into finding some, and in my case i would grow them to preserve for the future, which should be perfectly legal by now since the patent expired.

  • Kurtis Baute
    6 years ago

    I'm also looking for some flavr savr seed, for use in a science video - has anyone got a hold of any? Please let me know!

  • zen_man
    6 years ago

    Hello Fredrik and Kurtis,

    You might try contacting some of the people who have done research with the Flavr Savr tomatoes. For example, try to contact one or more of the researchers involved in this link to this article in HortScience

    The "traffic" in this forum is quite low, and I would suggest you also post your inquiries in forums with obvious higher traffic. Maybe try the National Gardening Association.

    ZM

  • HU-665190997
    7 months ago

    could you send me some of those flavr savr seeds? I am in virginia my email is rayhanacharya10@gmail.com

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