Fava breeding

[Jeremy Weiss]

I know of one other source of a fingerprint fava (now that Joe's store no longer is). Sacred Succulents carries a smallish fava they call "Ojo de Dios" that is 25% fingerprint.

I also OCCASIONALLY find fingerprints when I check the bin of favas at the bodega I go to (thought most of those are very weak fingerprints) But as I haven't been there in about a year, I have no idea whether they still produce any (or even if they still have the bin).

[William Schlegel]

https://osseeds.org/ossi-varieties/montana-rainbow/

This happened, Montana Rainbow Fava has been accepted.

Snake River Seeds will have it in their 2022 catalogue. 

[Nicolas]

Congrats !

[Garrett Schantz]

Any solution to ants on fava beans?

They seem to enjoy the flowers and buds.

These ants also enjoy pepper flowers... Easier to deal with on pepper plants.

These ants are the reason as to why I usually don't grow favas.

[Diane Whitehead]

I think ants are usually farming aphids.

[Garrett Schantz]

I think ants are usually farming aphids.

Yeah, this species of ant seems to do that. Even plants that aren't stressed end up with this issue. Anything with a lot of nectar / pollen is a target.

Favas seem to be the most targeted, maybe because the buds are so close together and low to the ground.

[William Schlegel]

So one of my three 2021 fava patches is the fingerprint fava. Last year I grew it closely with other favas. So what I've gotten back so far with today's first picking is: no good fingerprint favas but a couple barely discernable whorls. Then one spotted one. Intriguing.

Is this out crossing? Variable expression? My guess is both.

[William Schlegel]

The purple patch planted only with seeds that show variable expression like another color is peeking through has produced some tan seeds with only three plants sampled so far. Guessing that confirms my codominant thought on that.

[William Schlegel]

Just weighed a bag of favas I just cleaned. 23 lbs. More than twice what I needed of MR fava.

[William Schlegel]

My 2021 experiments three.

1. Planted lots of colorful favas in one patch
- result, seems like I got back boring favas in return. They were in the mix. Guess common fava colors to me are well adapted here.

2. Planted half purple favas.
- Got back dark purple favas, tan favas, and half purple favas. Half purple favas definitely segregate.

3. Planted fingerprint favas a second year after growing them with others.

Result- very few fingerprint favas back. Expect some segregation back to fingerprints next year? Did I get really high outcrossing or are fingerprints not very reliable year to year?  One kind of cool F1 purple swirl. Is breeding a purple fingerprint possible? Dunno.

[Jeremy Weiss]

. Is breeding a purple fingerprint possible? Dunno.

Probably. I know fingerprint can mix with green so I don't see why it couldn't do it with purple as well.

One additional thing to keep your eye out for. I don't have it anymore, but Joe Simcox once offered a largish fava with what I can only describe as a "wood grain" seed coat pattern.  Something to consider.

[Greenie DeS]

My first year with favas. I planted not too long after the ground unfroze and about half my plants actually ripened anything up north here; tried the Lofthouse mix in one area and Russian Black from heritage harvest seeds in another. Russian Black ripened a larger percentage.

My first two goals: beans that ripen here, and beans that set their pods higher on the plant to keep the voles and squirrels away, they seem to be a favourite food for critters in my area. I suspect these two goals are contradictory (I suspect higher flowers = later fruit set?) but some better observation next year will help settle that.

[William Schlegel]

Last year I had one patch where I burned a pile. They got so huge, but also the weeds got huge and something probably a rodent ate them. So huge size might be possible with the right soil fertility.

[William Schlegel]

Also I mailed off 10 lbs of my newly OSSI pledged and accepted fava grex to snake river. Assuming it passes germination it should be avaliable soon!

[Tim DH]

Hi William,
  Your 'Broads' look a lot like mine!

  Here is a selection I did in 2008 for weight produced per plant. I was trialling whether any particular colour was more productive. Thankfully it wasn't!

  I haven't done any selection recently. .... Perhaps I should program it in next year.

  I've been growing these fellas so long I can't recollect anything about the parents. ... But I guess Aqua Claudia is in there, and some from Henry Doubleday's Heritage seeds.

Tim DH