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seeds Is Cross Pollination Likely? How to get pure seeds

K

kbiswell

I was looking around the internet for some superhot seeds and was wondering which places isolated their plants and who didnt. Or is it even necessary? I emailed hipy seed co. and they said they dont and theres only a 1 in 1000 chance of cross pollination. I ended up buying from Refining Fire Chiles because he guarantees his seeds to grow pure, So is Isolation necessary to get pure seeds? Or is cross pollination to rare?
 
all depends on spacing and how many plants you're growing.  To throw a number like 1 in 1000 is just silly.  All depends on your growing setup/amount. 

I don't believe Jim isolates.  I don't know any who do except some of us backyard growers.  I will be this year on certain plants.  Of course if the seeds I have weren't isolated before they got to me it won't do much good.  Of all the seeds I have I can say for sure my bhut's are isolated because they came from Ron Elkins who only grows bhut's. 
 
As for isolating, look into agribbon, mosquito netting, cloth row cover, stuff like that.  Or get some organza bags and isolate individual buds
 
I find the general consensus is that crosses are indeed rare if plants remain separated (~1 foot or so) even when fully grown. Many of us have had accidental crosses, but usually that's because the plants are very close.  Sometimes they start separated but grow into each other as they get quite large late in the season.
 
ps.  I'm a Gaucho (UCSB 1987-1992, yes that's 5 years!) and loved every minute there.
 
hottoddy said:
I find the general consensus is that crosses are indeed rare if plants remain separated (~1 foot or so) even when fully grown. Many of us have had accidental crosses, but usually that's because the plants are very close.  Sometimes they start separated but grow into each other as they get quite large late in the season.
 
ps.  I'm a Gaucho (UCSB 1987-1992, yes that's 5 years!) and loved every minute there.
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did you have a Rolf Christofferson as a professor? he is my uncle

and actually if my memory serves me right Jim at refining fire chilis does isolate, he has growers that are supposed to just grow 1 species as seed stock on the property, since peppers self pollinate, cross pollination is not likely and it is tough to tell if there is a cross since the pods will look like the mother plant. but i will say that every seed i have recieved from Jim has grown true.
 
What myth has been busted?
 
I've not seen many studies done on it, but from the few done it appears that crossing rates are variable. In a few papers CPI cites 7% all the way to 91%, although I'm not sure there has been study done on C. chinense specifically. Odland & Porter published in 1941 a study on crossing in frutescens, Franceschetti published in 1971 on anuums, and Tanksley published in 1984 again on anuums.
 
I think the best method to increase likelihood of purity without much effort is to plant in blocks of a single variety and harvest pods from the center of the block.
 
I would recommend against tulle and organza as they rot fairly quickly in the sun. Some of mine didn't even last an entire season.
 
http://www.southernexposure.com/isolation-distance-requirements-for-peppers-ezp-34.html
http://www.calantilles.com/capsicum_peppers.html
http://www.chilepepperinstitute.org/content/files/CageingArticle.full.pdf
http://www.carolinafarmstewards.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/PepperSeedProductionVer1_2.pdf
 
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