Delaware Blue Sweet Corn (Zea mays). William Woys Weaver selected only the bluest seeds from a mix of yellow, blue, and speckled Psindamocan kernels in order to tease out what he believes were two separate Delaware varieties: blue and yellow. This is the first year of this attempt, so it is not surprising that some cobs still have yellow and speckled kernels. #psindamocan #delawarebluesweetcorn #delawaresweetcorn #heirloomcorn #zeamays #roughwoodseedcollection #williamwoysweaver
You have some intresting genetics and it’s not going to be easy to separate out 2 distinct lines (and it will reduce the diversity of the separated lines). The speckled kernels look to be the R gene, and I’m guessing there are at least 3 of the 16 kernel pigment genes in play. It also looks like sh2 or similar is also in play. This produces shrunken vs. round kernels and it looks like you have some shrunken kernels on the ear with yellow kernels. Do you have any ear/kernel segregation data? You need really good phenotype records to sort out what is happening (and that means counting all the kernels on ears for several generations). Not a trivial task. The yellow kernels may also be due to sweet corn pollen contamination of your line (my guess, given the apparent presence of sweet corn genes in the population). Good luck!
@gemwel I have no idea what you are talking about, which is very exciting! This means I must study corn genetics! Any suggestions for where to start for a beginner plant breeder? Thanks! In the mean time, I’ll start counting kernels on ears for several generations.
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