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Connecticut

Pumpkin and Tomato growers:

In 2012 I lost my patch to mosaic virus, and while I was never able to get a pumpkin to the scale that year, I did learn that cells in a pumpkin may no longer divide 20 days post pollination. I found this very fascinating and began to research how this short period of cell division could be maximized. After many hours of research and many dead ends, I finally reached what I think is a potential breakthrough to lengthening the duration and rate of cell division with the use of plant hormones.

Through my research I have found that ethylene (yes, I know you think this is just for ripening) and cytokinins can achieve the desired goals. The hard part is that timing and dilution rate is critical for success. I presented my findings at two winter growers’ meetings, and I was met with great support from the community. This gave me the encouragement to pursue everything further, knowing that growers were willing to experiment with my findings.

I gathered the products I needed and also the needed equipment to accurately dispense everything, and I have been trying to get them in the hands of growers to try. At the recent GPC Convention, Russ L. presented information that was similar to my findings, even though we had not talked beforehand. This gave me the extra confidence that I was on the right track, which was a good thing because I already had the products in-hand and was committed to having some ready for growers to pick up at the convention ahead of time.

I have given my plant hormone mixture the name “Anthesis- Cucurbit Maxus,” which sounds like a perfume, because all you have to do is mist it onto your recently pollinated pumpkin. (Anthesis essentially means a flower ready for pollination.)

Continued…

4/2/2015 6:39:49 AM

Connecticut

My slide show from a winter growers’ meeting in Vermont, where I was the main speaker, is posted on the Team-Pumpkin website, and I invite everyone to take a look at it as well as other great slide shows under the “Presentations” tab…

www.Team-Pumpkin.org

or a direct link…
http://www.team-pumpkin.org/downloads/IncreasingCellDivisionsmaller.pdf

I am seeking any interested growers that want to try this out this year to contact me (I am working on shipping details). This is basically a one-time application directly to the 48-hour old fruit, and there could be about a 15% increase in weight at the end of the season. I hope growers are willing to give this a chance this year (prices are in the slide show), so I can have a larger sample size for this trial.

What you would be getting is small sealed tubes containing the respective hormones along with instructions. I even have small, fine mist spray bottles and measuring containers to ensure you get the product safely and are able to keep the amount of solution accurate. All that you would need to supply on your own would be distilled water.

I want to thank everyone for the interest and support I have already gotten from many growers. When growers that have a personal best over 2,000 pounds and other serious growers seek me out, it is a good feeling that the hours of research I have put into this are appreciated by the community.

If anyone has questions, feel free to ask me, and best of luck to everyone this year!

4/2/2015 6:40:01 AM

South Carolina

Count me in...

4/2/2015 7:12:30 AM

bliss,n.y.- heart of Wyoming County

Matt-pricebliss8@aol.com

4/2/2015 8:14:54 AM

Anamosa, IA BPIowegian@aol.com

Your slide show mentions tomatoes and pumpkins. Would this work on other crops like bushel gourds, long gourds, and field pumpkins?

4/2/2015 11:13:02 AM

Austin MN

Matt I emailed you :)

4/2/2015 12:17:52 PM

Lexington, Ky

How would you know if it actually worked?!

4/2/2015 1:29:39 PM

Connecticut

Thanks to everyone that has already e-mailed me I will get back to you in the order received. It may take a little while, but I will reply;-)

To get to the questions asked above...

Iowegian- I think “Anthesis” would work well on bushel gourds and field pumpkins, and it could also help long gourds but personally I would be looking more at Gibberellic Acids (GA) since you want more cell elongation in long gourds. I originally looked at GA for pumpkins but realized I want more of an overall cell swelling and not just elongation. There are about 200 different types of GA out there and selecting the proper one (or ratio of a combination) and getting the timing and the dosage correct will take some research. At this time I have not explored this hormone in depth but to direct your research I would start with GA 4 and GA 7 as these can improve cell elasticity. Again hormones are not as easy as fertilizer calculations but this can act as a starting point to research further.

Team Wexler- You bring up a very good point about being able to tell if it actually worked. I agree it will be difficult to get data based from controls but I have at least one grower who plans on growing doubles of the same seeds. One is going to get the treatment and the sib is not, so this may provide some insight. Also by simply increasing the sample size I can get some more feedback to see if there were any changes from the grower’s perspective. One indicator is that the pumpkin during the first 10 days should be smaller than a “control” because it takes more energy to go through the process of cell division and ideally cell expansion will be delayed. By increasing the amount of growers that trial “Anthesis” this will help find any potential negative effects. I see the data being messy but I know the dedication of the growers on this website, so I hope to get some good feedback from growers at the end of the growing season.

4/2/2015 3:37:50 PM

Deer Park, WI

Matt-

The doctoral thesis you cite and the experimental work on ethrel were both formed on tomatoes, and some of the other evidence you provided shows work on various fruit/veggie crops.

Did you come across any evidence that demonstrates C. Maxima exhibits endoreduplication?

this is an intriguing step forward in the evolution of hormonal/PGR use in cucurbits. very cool.

4/2/2015 3:53:04 PM

Colorado

If someone grows from cuttings off the same plant that will be a better control than from seed.

4/2/2015 3:58:54 PM

BC, Canada

Well, I got the distilled water already.

Love to try it!

4/2/2015 4:12:30 PM

Connecticut

Joze- The study I cite does work with Ethrel and tomatoes. I have also taken this a step further and added a cytokinin to the mix for an added bonus of cell division signal and possible increase in fruit sink strength. The “Endoreduplication” is in my mind the next step forward. Once we can get the cell number maximized (which is what “Anthesis” is targeting) then we can move on to increasing the ability for cells to swell. There are many advantages to this process from the plant cell perspective. Right now I do not have any direct information on how to improve this process but it is one that certainly needs to be investigated. It is very interesting the orchid example how the patter of the flower remains the same even though the petals increase in size. Personally, I think we need to first maximize the cell number and then we can move on to up regulating the “endoreduplication” process. There is always another step I want to investigate but for right I am staying focused on the first part of the process.

Cojoe- I think cuttings would offer more consistency but finding enough growers that have this as an option is going to be limiting. However, if the option exists I am all for it!

Thanks again for all of the interest I am doing my best to keep up with everyone’s questions, both here and via e-mail.

4/2/2015 8:04:58 PM

Muddy Waters

Thanks Matt I will be using it for sure this season.

4/2/2015 9:11:52 PM

stoughton WI

matt could you send me an email. rickjoli@hotmail.com

4/2/2015 10:09:47 PM

Home of happy lil plants

Quick question from the read.

why only once 48hours after fruit set, and not more say day 10 or 20 even maintaining the same lower solution rates of course?
just wonder if there is a reason or if that is simply seen as wasteful or thinking that it will alter TOO much?

4/2/2015 11:24:48 PM

Rudolph

Matt I sent you a message, if for some reason it doesn't make it to you could you please e-mail me @ brandt.josiah@yahoo.com thank you!

4/3/2015 12:11:40 AM

Illinois

would like to give a try

4/3/2015 4:24:28 AM

Grant, AL

I would like to give it a try. Would this be effective on giant watermelon?

4/3/2015 7:51:38 AM

Connecticut

First off, thanks for the overwhelming interest I will be e-mailing out an order form to everyone that has contacted me so it is easier for me to keep track of who wants what.

Answers to the latest questions…

Spence- The reason why the application has to be made 48-hours after pollination is this is the typical peak in the natural cell signal. If you apply it to early then the cell will not hear the signal because it is going to naturally increase. If you apply it to late then the cells will not be as receptive to it. The goal is when you hit the concentration and timing just right then you can simply extend the duration of cell division. (Slides #45 and $46 in the presentation show a graph where there is a comparison to a water control and an ethylene blocker.)
Also, remember that I have two parts to my system and the other is a cytokinin that should help increase the rate of cell division. My goal is to target to the two most limiting cellular factors of the process… duration and rate.

Charles B.- I have no reason to think this would not work on watermelons and I would follow the same directions. The same goes for field pumpkins and tomatoes. Also, if you wanted to apply it to long gourds it should work but Gibberellic Acids (GA) mentioned above may be a better option for this particular crop.

Keep the e-mails and questions coming!

4/3/2015 8:32:37 AM

Austin MN

What form of cytokins are you using Matt? And at what ppm?

4/3/2015 12:02:07 PM

Lebanon, Oregon

I emailed you using the Team-Pumpkin link. Is the correct link? rickspaziani@yahoo.com

4/3/2015 12:41:43 PM

Connecticut

Tconway- It was great being able to talk with someone else that has done plant research and willing to potentially set up some trials this year. I look forward to your results of my “Anthesis” product this year. Also, if someone is not familiar with Tconway, he certainly has access to a lot of plant science equipment and expertise and is willing to do what he can to help understand more about giant pumpkins.

Garden Rebel- I want to thank you for the very kind words in your e-mail and I did reply. If you have any additional questions be sure to let me know.

4/3/2015 5:33:06 PM

Austin MN

Thank you Matt! It was a pleasure talking to you. If any one would be interested I can work on a formula of Anthesis for long gourds and possibly have Matt be able to ship that out as well for trials?

Let me know if people would be interested? :)

4/3/2015 5:48:47 PM

Bowdon, GA

What form of cytokinins are you using?

4/3/2015 5:52:09 PM

Connecticut

Tconway- It may take a little while to get a product specific for long gourds but with what I have learned and working together we can hopefully cut down the time needed to get a formulation figured out.

Holloway- Cytokinins can be classified into two types adenine and phenylurea and I have chosen the adenine type because I think this type fits the main goal of this study better. One of the great challenges with plant hormones in general is that they are in a powder form and since such small amounts are needed it is a challenge to accurately measure them and get them into a liquid form so they can be applied to the fruit. Fortunately, the vials I ship out to growers are in liquid form and just need to be stored in the freezer until you are ready to use them. This is what has made this project so interesting, every step of the way there was a challenge but I think I have worked through them all. While in the end it all seems very simple, getting everything to this point has taken hours of research. When growers see a liquid in a small tube they think, “how hard is it to just pour some in each vial?” and they do not realize the complex science and research that goes into making this possible.

I appreciate all of the support and appreciation for the time I have spent on this research project;-)

4/3/2015 8:05:58 PM

nOVA sCOTIA

interesting!!!!So we can all anticipate a new PB in your patch this year Matt or maybe even a new WR??? I am going to cry if someone takes this as a neg comment!!!!

4/3/2015 9:09:34 PM

Tinykinville

Hey matt as I mentioned to you in chat id like to try it on our maters. My email is jm32812000@sbcglobal.net

Thanks joe,

4/3/2015 9:25:41 PM

Brookfield, Wisconsin

"Fortunately, the vials I ship out to growers are in liquid form and just need to be stored in the freezer until you are ready to use them."
Matt,
Will the shipping time effect the vials if they are not kept frozen?

4/4/2015 12:06:35 AM

Connecticut

DONKIN- That is my goal every year;-)

Dabowhunter- You bring up a good point, yes shipping time will reduce the shelf life of the product, but I have already run the numbers. As long as you freeze the vial upon arrival and pollinate before early August you will still have the product at peak effectiveness. As you go beyond this date the hormone essentially breaks down and the effectiveness will be reduce which will not bring any harm, but it will also not offer much of a benefit.

It is hard for me to show all of the research I have done without it getting overwhelming, so if you have question keep asking and I will do my best to answer them as I think it benefits everyone.

4/4/2015 10:06:42 AM

Hyde Park, Utah USA

I'd like to try some tcford3@aol.com Thanks, Matt

4/4/2015 5:56:47 PM

JACKSON, WISCONSIN. ; )

Matt I may wana try some too...

4/5/2015 9:33:11 AM

Garner, NC

Matt, iceoccasions@bellsouth.net Thanks Todd

4/8/2015 12:57:33 PM

(rocky) Bonney Lake Wa.

Matt, ronboo01@yahoo.com

4/25/2015 2:36:13 PM