Open-Pollinated Sweet Corn

Open-Pollinated Sweet Corn CROPS New Crops If you try “Who Gets Kissed?” sweet corn and like the way it tastes you can let a few stalks mature and save the seed for next year It has early season vigor stands well tastes great and is disease-resistant The new open-pollinated sweet corn first featured in Vol 37 No 5 is now on the market Growers can order it through High Mowing Organic Seeds but if they save seed they’ll never have to buy it again
    The Organic Seed Alliance which helped develop the variety with Martin Diffley Bill Tracy and the University of Wisconsin helps protect public access to seed Kristina Hubbard OSA says “When new varieties are released farmers can save seeds from their harvests and researchers are free to use these varieties in ongoing plant breeding work variety trial evaluations and other seed research ”
    OSA works with farmer/plant breeder partnerships In the case of Who Gets Kissed? organic grower Diffley was frustrated with organic sweet corn that lacked vigor and tolerance to cool wet soils common to Minnesota springs He began working with 2 of Tracy’s lines of sweet corn to select for one with early vigor standability and eating qualities OSA provided some funding and research assistance
    “We were leaning toward an early maturing line with quite high quality but in severe wind it went flat so we couldn’t release that to farmers ” explains Tracy “The second line didn’t have as much quality but stood up better and was more resistant to disease We concentrated on it ”
    For 7 years the research team selected for the best They looked for tenderness flavor sweetness and corn aromas and mouth texture or creaminess They literally bit into raw sweet corn to evaluate the selected lines with a final test in 2014
    “We harvested a couple hundred ears about 21 days after pollination and bit into them Good was defined as wanting to take a second bite ” explains Tracy “We set 75 percent ‘good’ ears as the minimum level of acceptability We ended up with more than 80 percent in the good category and decided it was ready for release ”
    This winter High Mowing Organic Seeds started taking orders for Who Gets Kissed? Their seed catalogue describes it as: “A sweet corn bred for and by organic growers! Excellent flavor and tender texture; good cool soil emergence Compact 5 to 6-ft tall plants with ears 2 ft off the ground; 14 to 16 rows of kernels each Good tip fill and husk coverage Ears have an extended harvest window—check frequently for maturity Intermediate resistance to rust and smut Bi-color Sugary enhanced se 7 to 8-in ears ”
    However Tracy notes that as good as it is now growers may make it better He and Diffley are working on more varieties
    “Open-pollinated seed can always continue to improve and we hope growers do improve it ” he says “Over time we hope to have ‘Who Gets Kissed?’ or something else derived from it that is even better in disease resistance and quality ”
    Hubbard notes that Who Gets Kissed? demonstrates the success of participatory plant breeding The OSA has already helped introduce broccoli zucchini and spinach and is working on carrots and more
    “Participatory breeding empowers farmers to take a lead role in the development of new seed varieties by combining their practical experience with the technical expertise of formal breeders ” says Hubbard “We’re excited that the model is resulting in more high-quality organic seed like Who Gets Kissed? in addition to more farmers gaining skills to develop their own varieties on their farms ”
    Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Organic Seed Alliance P O Box 772 Port Townsend Wash 98368 ph 360 385-7192; info@seedalliance org; www seedalliance org or High Mowing Organic Seeds 76 Quarry Rd Wolcott Vt 05680 ph 802 472-6174; www highmowingseeds com

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