I remember seeing a thread from Julia I think, explaining that GTS could have access to the seed. Im thinking anyone can go research seed within the database, then let GTS know what accessions to request. Remember, GTS was allowed to get the melon accessions to grow out, Im thinking this is a great project. Just outline the specific traits ranked in order of importance then looking for seed with genetics to add to the mix…when a grower plants and grows an accession, keep some seed pure, and some goes into the grex.
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Fantastic! Finnally those Grin Germaplasm can be put to good use. Since GTS is a Non-Profit organization, we can techically request seeds thru GTS then? I’m glad the Melon accessions gorw outs wasn’t a 1 time thing cuz there would be lots of requests I’d love to make.
Hopefully we can find a way to send our requests to the GTS Staff.
I found it & it seems to be from the same research of the study, small world eh?
https://npgsweb.ars-grin.gov/gringlobal/taxon/taxonomydetail?id=311955
Unfortunatly it appears to be unavailable 
, but at least we can confirm it’s a landrace!
https://npgsweb.ars-grin.gov/gringlobal/search?t=
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Indeed, interesting. So, send a message to Julia and ask if there’s any other database or seed vault, seed company, or grower that might know of the seed. Maybe search universities abroad who might be continuing research and if seed is available. Maybe track down where its grown originally…maybe write a note to GRIN and ask. Perhaps they help with special requests for research…trying to be practical and still imagine where we could find seed to grow. My husband had a thought…anyone close to San Francisco? Maybe a market there would offer the fruit itself? …or any other market selling fruits for specific Asian or Chinese cuisine?
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Good Idea, will message @julia.dakin
I can also try contacting the researchers from the study again. I suggest others do the same as well!
Fantastic thought! I live around the D.C. area and have lots of internatioanl Grocery Stores where I can find rare fruits to save seeds from. San Francisco may have even more since that region has a larger consumer base for exotic fruits. However finding the Xishuangbanna Cucumber would be INSANELY Rare as “Only a few households in the remote and high-altitude mountainous villages continue to cultivate very limited amounts of XC for family consumption”
Here’s the study the quote was from : https://cgspace.cgiar.org/server/api/core/bitstreams/25affc60-7463-447a-a615-5edc789b5c3c/content
I would be mindblown if Xishuangbanna Cucumbers were sold! Do they even sell fully ripe cucumber fruits? All the Cucumis sativus I ever seen at my international Grocery Stores were unripe & Tender, & no Thai Melons don’t count cuz they Cucumis melo.
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Here’s the Email of the Researcher. Idk if that email is still active.
Susanne S. Renner (renner@lmu.de)
I also just contacted all these researchers from this study!
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I would definitely be on board to join a growout of this cucumber, if we can find a source for seeds.
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Hi everybody Lowell got me or us perennial teósinte from there
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Seems to be stricly short-day flowering: <i>FLOWERING LOCUS T</i> (<i>FT</i>) gene regulates short-day flowering in low latitude Xishuangbanna cucumber (<i>Cucumis sativus</i> var. <i>xishuangbannanesis</i>)
Personnally I couldn’t grow it in my environment: we grow cucumbers end of spring-summer-beginning of autumn here, but one in the south of northern hemisphere could probably, could do some seed increases first, and then do crosses with more usual types, and then in next generations select for orange flesh AND short day flowering. I can’t see other ways round. Much more work than expected if that is short-day flowering is confirmed.
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Possibly crossing it with Gagon cucumber could help. Gagon cucumber is available at the Experimental Farm Network store, and it’s supposed to be tasty ripe. So you wouldn’t have to select out untasty-while-ripe genes from the cross.
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Its worth a look fir them, sometimes researchers overlook a good market.
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A researcher has replied to my email, sadly they don’t have the Xishuangbanna Cucumber seeds. She said seeds may be found in Laos or Thailand, but sadly I have no contacts in Laos or Thailand . Does anyone here have contacts in that South Eastern Asia Region? That seems to be our only way to obtain seeds.
With this cucumber being so hard to find, makes it feel like it’s easier to mentor graft the orange flesh trait from Cucumis melo via horizontal Gene Flow 
.
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…someone from Asia must have seed…how do we ask a large audience? Facebook? Instagram? Its a quest and is there any other variety close? Can we request seed from an International seed bank?
idk, but if we are all searching, odds are 1 of us will eventually find them.
Good question about requesting seeds from an international seed bank, hopefully GTS can try it.
There do however exist Indian Varieites of Cucumbers with Orange Flesh, maybe they will be easier to find?
I also don’t know how to get seeds from the Indian version, kind of wish we knew some Indian gardeners too! I’m sure we have lots of cool seeds to trade.
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Yes, maybe the orange types are all related. Can you check the GRIN database fir the Indian version? And then I can request through GTS for the accessions? Im just thinking if we want to try to grow them this spring we have to move with some pep on our step. Lol, at least thats what Im thinking. Definitely try different fresh markets coast to coast to possibly find some seeds. You’re phylogenetic mind is much better to remember these accessions and finding them then I can do…im sticking with growing. However, i did find a few more seed companies that embrace adaptive seed, but no orange cucumbers.
I did try to, there were many Indian Cucumber Landraces but none of them were orange-fleshed (Well at least the ones that had photos). Also all Orange Flesh Cucumbers even if they’re form India should’ve been classified as Cucumis sativus var. xishuangbanna, so even if they didn’t have the photo, I would’ve know they were Orange Flesh type. Sadly I couldn’t find any Orange Flesh Cucumbers in GRIN (Indian or Chinese).
Maybe Chinese Seed Banks have them? Idk it’s a rare plant even in China, mostly it’s maintained by some small-scale Mountain Farmers in southern China, Laos & Thailand. Good luck tying to contact those folks, idk where to start & there’s no guarantee they want to talk with you. It’s situations like this that make you realize just how important & Valuable Connections are.
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Yes, im taking the class on how to do GRIN lookups. Then ill see if any other database is accessible. I just dont have a reliable computer, but Ill give it a go to see what I can find.
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We are all a looking for anything similar, from India? We need to determine if we can request seed from international seed banks. Or find a market that would possibly offer a similar orange fleshed fruit. Ultimately, if we cant find the seeds at least we know the “how to” of any boundaries. Its also a challange to grow due to the day length and flower timing. We must all get really good at growing cucumers too! Im planting 20 varieties this season. Its 80 degree days here…
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Nice! I didn’t even knew classes existed on how to do GRIN Lookups 
.
Indeed, it would be a game changer if we could. I wonder if the Baker Creek Seed Company has people in Southern China, Laos or Vietnam looking for the Orange Flesh Cucumber too. They have a Team of Seed Collectors in many countries sourcing seeds from India, Eruope, Japan, ect. They are known as Seed Hunters. Would be cool to form connections with them.
Indeed, I don’t know if Wild Cucumber species relatives like Cucumis hystrix are worth seeking tho? They may contain bitter genes but also have more wild adaptive genetics (I seen them in the GRIN System). But I’m not sure if the GTS team wants to play around with them. I remember lofthouse had to trow away his whole melon seed harvest for the year just because some of the wild bitter genes expressed themselves in his landrace population.
Agreed by that’s exactly why we Breed them, to make our job of growing them easier. The Day-light sensitivity can be annoying (Freezing Pollen or Delaying the flowering of another may help). If you Day-Light Sensative Cucumber is small enough to cover completly with a dark cloth that blocks out sunlight for a day or 2, that can trigger the “Short Day” needed to start flowering. It’s what speed breeders do, except they shut off the lights of their green house but a Tarp or Bucket may achieve the same concept.
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Yes, grow some cucumbers this spring. Im searching for seed…India has an orange flesh type too…seems to be researched but no seed production…maybe the research was abandoned due to the flavor or lack thereof? Or its growing sensitivity to daylight?
https://eurekamag.com/research/070/935/070935352.php
When I grow teósinte in a 5 gallon bucket and then I put them for in a grow light under a grow light for 10 hours a day and for teósinte text from 30 to 45 days to start this silk
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