Who is working on breeding for squash bug resistance? Any success or tips for somebody embarking on a new project? (I was on a call last night where this came up and I have no answers).
It looks like Wren of Mountain Jewel has gotten far enough along to have seeds for sale:
Thank you for reminding me about her seeds. Iāve checked that website probably a dozen times since winter and itās always been out of stock ā until now! I went ahead and grabbed a couple packs.
Also, I am breeding for squash bug resistance and resistance to other adverse conditions as well. I am just starting so do not have seeds available.
Iāll be working on pest resistance. My squash patch the plan is pretty much to direct seed and let them fight it out.
I will be working on this as well. Before I knew about landrace gardening I saw positive results from simple crosses of only two varieties. But in our small spaces and with only a few of those saved seeds being planted each year, it became clear that the resistance was hit or miss. With some more varieties added last year to try to increase the genetic diversity and a hands-off approach, we had zero survivors. Andā¦the squash bugs moved on to devour all our other cucurbits also ā UG. This year Iāve added even more varieties. Iām planting early hoping to have stronger plants by the time the squash bugs arrive. I have decided that I am prepared to interfere a little in order to get some survivors with a good genetic diversity and then approach next year as more of a hands-off Year 1 ā does that make it Take 2 or Take 3? Also, Iām going to play around with possible buffalo gourd endophytes.
I love the work that Wren does. She started with wonderful seed.
Moschata exhibit resistance to squash vine borer (Melittia cucurbitae) because the hard/dense vines resist the larvae. I selected among my Maxima/Moschata hybrids for that dense vine, and the lovely taste of Maxima.
Anasa tristis lives in my garden. It prefers pepo or maxima over moschata. It caused problems early in my breeding projects, but I rarely see it any more, except when my friend planted seed catalog zucchini.
My squash growing has largely been on hold for several seasons, I have a small garden and other projects had priority for the space. I have pepo seed that resists the borers, or rather I think, tolerates them in that the plants continue growing and producing, even if infected. Some have similar tolerance to the other bugs but not as much so as with the borers.
I see similar things with tomatoes and beans sometimes. They have a disease but produce anyway, I can make peace with that. The squash bugs though attack and blemish the fruits themselves, so thatās a problem that needs addressed. They probably also reduce the size of the fruits, and I donāt have firm evidence of it, but I think a little bit of squash bug attack, may actually intensify and improve the flavor.
Anyway, Iām putting in more squash this year than I have for the last several.
Also, whatās cool about mountain jewel, I saw the couple on Homestead Rescue TV show. Interesting trivia.
There is a topic on Permies about vine borers and squash.
https://permies.com/t/57948/thought-permaculture-insect-control-failed#490449
I went through the first 30 or so posts and found it entertaining.
Hereās one that stuck out: ā Scott, time isnāt a factor in the permaculture scheme. Some things can be dramatically improved seemingly overnight. But in regards to bugs and insects, it is the testimony of researchers like Elaine Ingham that the microbes must be active in the soil in substantial enough numbers in order to get the minerals to the plants. Additionally, it is the testimony of practitioners like John Kempf and Dan Kittredge and others that plants (all) which have adequate mineralization are invisible to insect pests, even if they are ravaging unhealthy (under mineralized) plants next door. Leaf analysis might show you which minerals are missing and a foliar spray may be able to alleviate that deficiency. And John Kempf has shown that for some plants, foliar spraying for a couple years can be enough to get the cycle going and then be self sufficient until the next major disturbance.ā
This was the philosophy that I subscribed to before I was exposed to Landrace Gardening. Then all the sudden, I felt like I heard the truth with zero BS added for the first time. I didnāt make sense that all of the sudden, after thousands of years, in order to be successful, I need to get a microscope, learn about dozens of different elements, learn about different organisms that the eye cannot see, pamper my plants, rob Peter to pay Paul in the way of plant nutrients and compost, etc. All that work and look at the weed that throws down and shows everyone whoās boss a few feet away.
I must not have read far enough, thanks for bringing that quote to my attention. LOL. I have a lot to say on that particular topic-- the giant blind spot especially in regen ag of completely ignoring the differences within a species and talking like all the varieties will respond the same to deficiencies/stress/nutrition/microbes etc.
John Kempf and Elaine Ingham being possibly the most famous people with giant blind spots. Whyā¦ ??
Iāve even had part of this conversation with John Kempf, which ended with silence, so Iāve gotten cynical about it being purely about capitalism (for the people who really do know better). Maybe we could make some beautiful Instagrammable/shareable series about how and why genetics and diversity actually matter in permaculture. I like how somewhere in that thread Joseph pointed out how Permaculture principles value diversity, but everybody wants heirlooms, so often they have polycultures of inbred varieties.
You are welcome to use anything I have posted on this forum.
Iāve read all of it years ago. I wanted to know why permaculture had failed him. Turns out genetics is the main thing.
I make aerated compost teas and spread them in the garden to enhance biodiversity on a bacterial level. Some will stick.
I go out hiking and collect soil samples at healthy trees in spring and dilute that in water and watercan that around trees iāve planted on the plot. Ever increasing diversity, also for mychorrizal fungi is my aim. People are cynical about it. But i donāt care. They can wait for the fungi to migrate. I give opportunity for plants and trees to choose rootpartners.
Interesting genetics come from plants which maximise the rootconnections, to maximise their efficient uptake in nutrients. Like you say that will make them less attractive to insects.
Not so much blind spots, I think, as blinders. They get obsessed about one thing and all their work goes to proving the efficacy, and later the total ascendancy, of thing. Once ego gets involved, thereās no more real progress outside of the prescribed channels.
Good job weāre not obsessed!
I have had my share of Squash bugs and stink bugs and God knows what else this year. I have established a firm decision in my mind to do something about it.If anyone has access to the c. Moschata seeds that are always sold out please let me know. We need all the good genetics we can muster to get the right genes in there.
In all seriousness, I think this is why Joseph keeps gently reminding us not to get prescriptive about what landrace gardening āshouldā be. At its core is flexibility, and learning to trust the plants. I think an attitude of relaxation and consistently observing and tweaking is likely to have good results. I think a habit of consistently trying new things with a constantly open mind is likely to bear a lot of fruit (hopefully literally!), too.
Iāve asked the man of the topic on Permies iāve send previously if heād be willing to provide the community with those pumpkins seeds heās really happy with.
The thing I found most intriguing about that MIgardener video was actually the sunflowers!
He showed that theyād been left completely alone, even though birds kept on eating all the sunflower seeds in his garden. Seems to me thatās an excellent illustration of one of the benefits of broad polycultures: camouflage to keep other species who like to eat specific plants from noticing them before you get to harvest them.