[strangerachael]

The blurb on the packet (and all the books) says 'sow at least 8 metres from other varieties so as to avoid cross pollination and reduced sweetness'  BUT - if I have two different varieties which are both described as 'super sweet' does this still apply or can I plant them next to each other do you think?

[vineweevil1]

I was told last year that as long as ther are both super sweet then it didn't matter, but I am personally no expert!

[DD.]

I could be wrong here, but "Super sweets" are F1 hybrids. The parents are carefully selected.

With two varieties you could have 4 parents.

If they cross pollinate they could pick up the wrong characteristic from the wrong parent.

Hope that makes sense!

[strangerachael]

mmm ... trying to imagine what kind of undesirable characteristics they could possibly have ??   but you're probably right so just to be on the safe side, the 14 seeds I had left over from last year (and they probably won't all germinate) - I think I'll just try and find them a little patch on their own somewhere. The new seeds can have the main sweetcorn area. Then I can do tast comparison tests! 

[SpudtheBinx]

Can anyone explain this to me? Logicaly speaking the cobs should be supersweet no matter what the polinator, and any child plants would have the strange characteristics. Obviously it's not the case though and the kernals take on a unique flavour depending on the polinator. How so?

[DD.]

Not a biologist, so can't explain why it can affect the flavour. That's why you remove male flowers off cucumbers.

[iwantanallotment]

Obviously it's not the case though and the kernals take on a unique flavour depending on the polinator. How so?

An easy way to explain it is that both varieties - while both being 'supersweet' - are likely to have very different breeding programs and strains behind them. Being F1 means they are a carefully bred combination of certain varieties.
Mixed with another F1 strain which aren't comprised of the same varieties, no-one can say which features will prove dominant and what your eventual crop will be. The concentrated features will be thrown askew and who knows what will prove dominant from all the strains involved.
Bit like crossing a Spaniel with a Poodle - the offspring may more closely resemble one or the other and will definitely be a dog, but won't be true to either   
Hope that hasn't caused even more confusion!

[mumofstig]

The question is ...if pumpkins cross polinate the 'fruit' you get this year is what you expect from the pkt, you only know if it has crossed if you try to grow the seeds next year. I think this is so with most stuff fruit wise
So why would the 'fruit' of the sweetcorn change in taste this year it's a puzzle Obviously if you tried to grow it the cross would show, but to change this year.......very odd

[strangerachael]

that's a good point and I'm completely baffled 
If you had all the time and space necessary you could try it and see what happens ie grow a patch of one, a patch of the other, in separate spaces, then grow them both together in another patch and see what happens.... not something I'll be doing this year though that's for sure.

[chimaera]

With sweetcorn (and things like peas) you are eating the seeds (that is, the embryo of the next generation) and not the fruit (the fleshy covering for the seeds provided by the parent plant), so that the corn will taste the way the pollenation went. For this reason, corn is commonly used in school genetics experiments, as you can see the results of the cross without having to grow on the next gerneration. Whether the offspring of 2 sweet varieties will be sweet too will depend on the genetics of the parents, and whether there are hidden genes for non sweet taste.

Charlie

[Elcie]

With sweetcorn (and things like peas) you are eating the seeds (that is, the embryo of the next generation) and not the fruit (the fleshy covering for the seeds provided by the parent plant), so that the corn will taste the way the pollenation went. For this reason, corn is commonly used in school genetics experiments, as you can see the results of the cross without having to grow on the next gerneration. Whether the offspring of 2 sweet varieties will be sweet too will depend on the genetics of the parents, and whether there are hidden genes for non sweet taste.

Charlie

What a great explanation, thanks for that!

[mumofstig]

Thanks for explaining that Charlie.........makes sense now

[iwantanallotment]

Wonderfully put, Charlie 

[SpudtheBinx]

Excellent, thankyou

[Kristen]

Thanks for raising the question, I didn't know this and would have planted my varieties side-by-side.

Off to rejig the whole plan of the plot now

Do you think this applies to "big" Sweetcorn and Mini Pop - 'coz I've got some of them too