Planted a carrot top a few months back expecting it to flower and give me some seeds. I had to dig it up the other day because of moving and found this insane mess

  • The_v@lemmy.world
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    11 days ago

    This is what happens when the main tap root is pruned on a carrot. Look up nematode damage on carrots and it looks very similar.

    https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/plant-eating-nematodes-and-the-key-to-fighting-them

    If that carrot was from the grocery store, you’ll not be successfull in producing seed without another OP plant. Hybrid carrot seeds are produced using a cytoplasmic male sterility gene. This gene mutation blocks the pollen formation on the plants flowers.

    In order to produce viable seed, you need another plant without the CMS gene to produce pollen.

    In commercial production they use three lines: male line (OP), Female line (CMS) and the maintainer line (OP). The female line and maintainer line are around 99% genetically identical in the nuclear DNA. They use the maintainer line to cross with the CMS female line to produce more female (CMS) seed. They then cross the female line (CMS) with the male line (OP) to produce hybrid seed for sale. The hybrid is CMS like the female line.

    • Manticore@lemmy.nz
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      11 days ago

      Grocery be putting DRM on the produce, “you wouldn’t pirate a vegetable”

    • dirthawker0@lemmy.worldOP
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      10 days ago

      Great information, thanks! I had planted a few tops a couple years ago – got lots of flowers, got seeds, and did indeed get some carrots from those seeds, but the failure rate was insanely high.

  • Pencilnoob@lemmy.world
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    11 days ago

    put this under the bed of your ailing pregnant mother to suck the disease out of her body and into this. Just don’t eat it after, make sure you burn it