David E. Ross wrote:
On 6/8/2008 1:36 PM, J. Clarke wrote [in part]:
David E. Ross wrote:
On 6/7/2008 10:33 AM, markm75 wrote:
I've heard a few variations on this.. was curious if anyone had
any
thoughts..

I've heard its ok to plant the white corn and the bicolor at the
same
time, as long as you aren't saving seeds.. i've also heard to not
do
it as they will cross pollinate and result in tough kernels.

Or.. i've heard that its ok, as long as you say, plant one one
week
then wait a few weeks and plant the other variety...

Any thoughts on this? I dont have 100 feet to separate the
varieties
either.. more like only a few feet

Thanks
When cross-pollination occurs, the effect is seen in the plants
grown
from the resulting seeds. The seeds themselves (corn kernels in
this
case) reflect the plant on which they grow.

This is best illustrated by Japanese plums. To set fruit, Satsuma
plums require cross-pollination from a different variety of
Japanese
plum. Often, Santa Rosa plums (which don't require
cross-pollination)
are used for cross-pollinating Satsuma plums. The resulting fruit
on
a Satsuma tree are clearly Satsuma plums. However, planting the
seeds from such plums will not produce a Satsuma tree.

However Satsuma trees are not hybrid corn.

However, they are indeed hybrid plums, different from their wild
ancestors. The effect is the same. The development of seeds and
fruit is dictated by the characteristics of the plant on which the
seeds and fruit develop, not on the genotype of the seed "germ" (the
part that forms a new plant when the seed sprouts).

So much pollen drifts through the air or is carried by insects from
one variety to another (e.g., from my neighbor's cherry tomatoes to
my own beefsteak tomatoes) that having named varieties of
vegetables,
fruits, and grain would be meaningless if cross-pollination affected
the resulting crop. The results of cross-pollination is seen only
in
the next generation of plants.

Google "SH2 Corn" and see what you find then if you disagree get back
to us.

--
--
--John
to email, dial "usenet" and validate
(was jclarke at eye bee em dot net)