These were the fruits grouped by plant yield before taste selection. Those had already undergo a storage selection in suboptimal conditions.
Yields are relative to a sxxxxy sandy soil with no inputs and little irrigation with a huge drought showing up early in season :
Under 1,5kg / plant
1-5-3kg :
3-6kg :
6+kg :
Couple pics of some of those very best tasting, also high yielding, all showing good to excellent health indicators :
A picture of the under 3kg regrouped category : all who “qualified” after taste selection :
So from those last pics and explanations I hope it becomes obvious why yield IF COUPLED with taste and plant health is a very interesting signal of “adaptation”, has a strong leverage for breeding in suboptimal conditions - relatively to the industry standards.
To wrap up :
- this is why I proposed there “plant health” in suboptimal conditions as a potential minimum threshold for selection and the most excellent proxy for “adaptation”,
- and secondly a subsequent coupled yield / taste criteria, also to assess “adaptation” and assess our breeding method comparatively with standard varieties - if not to prove the validity or superiority of our breeding method, by replicating similar protocoles with different species, regions and people over the years.
To confirm and precise those potentials, I will next year :
- Benchmark seeds from those “best of the best” fruits with seeds from also excellent fruits but lower yielding plants, to assess how far that vitality and excellence is transmissible.
- Benchmark with well-known butternuts and other varieties (Musquee de Provence?) from market gardeners friends of my region, buying from renowned organic seed companies, and growing in same type of soil, but with higher inputs and accurate water management