"Nostrano Cubano" Grow Blog

[ciennepi]

This is my new grow blog. It would be a blog that will last several years (at least in my aim).
It's two years that I grow Vuelta Abajo and either years all my plants was affected from PVY and I harvest only 10-20% of the potential crop.
I have the availability of large fields but in my area all the soil is heavy infected from PVY, probably cause the century of grow of potatoes.
In 2018 I grow Nostrano del Brenta and all my plant have been immune to PVY.
So just for fun, but in a approach as rigorous as possible, I will cross Vuelta Abajo with Nostrano del Brenta.
The aim is to get a Vuelta Abajo with the same good original flavour but with PVY resistance. So I cross either way male and femal plants, next year I will sow the highest possible number of F1 and IF someone will present PVY resistance I will back cross with Vuelta Abajo for a few years to bring back the flavour to a pure cuban cigar strain.
If I will get a useful strain his name will be "Nostano Cubano".
Wish me luck for the project or, how we say in Italy, tell me "merda"
Above is one of the first seed pods of this project, a cross between a Vuelta Abajo male and a Nostano del Brenta femal.

 

[deluxestogie]

That's a wonderful and potentially valuable (in a true commercial sense) project. I wish you well with it. As you make progress, consider a commercial plant patent.

Bob

 

[ciennepi]

Thank's but my biggest aim would be to have a good resistent strain with Vuelta Abajo flavour to use for me and to share here to the friends of FTT.

 

[deluxestogie]

That is noble, but look into a plant patent anyway. Your grandchildren will thank you.

Bob

EDIT: When I was about 10 years old, my father introduced me to an old man (an immigrant from Greece) working as a janitor in a business, sweeping the floor. As a young man he had invented and patented the machine that stitches the sole of a leather shoe onto the upper. He had sold the patent for $100, in order to buy groceries during the great depression.

 

[ciennepi]

Ok, but for now and a few years in the future I have nothing to patent. When and if the time will come I will think what to do.

 

[deluxestogie]

The kind of project you are undertaking is one of the primary reasons the US spent all the money to commission Agricultural Explorers to scour the countryside of every tobacco growing area in the world. To find genes resistant to various tobacco diseases, so that breeders would be able to develop resistant varieties of valuable tobacco varieties. It was the origin of GRIN. So if you can succeed, you will have created a seed that would be valuable to many current tobacco growing regions.

I'm delighted that you are willing to do all the work that will be involved. (It's more valuable than inventing a message platform that limits users to tiny, mindless chirps.) You should enjoy the benefits of a potential success.

My notion of crossing Corojo 99 with Piloto Cubano Broad (to make Blue Ridge Cubano) can result only in another minor variety of Cuban-like tobacco. By contrast, your project could allow growers in Europe to produce Cuban-like tobacco where none can presently be grown. I think it's a big deal.

Bob

 

[Charly]

Good idea Ciennepi !
I tell you «merde» (as we say in France).

I don't know the exact relationship between Vuelta Abajo, Corojo 99 and Piloto Cubano, but as I already said : the Piloto Cubano PR I m currently growing is showing a really good resistance against PVY (at least against the strains of PVY present in my region).
So «cuban» seeds resistant to PVY seem to already exist.

But your project is nonetheless a, good idea ! If you can get a new pvy resistant strain with a new «cuban like» flavor, it will be really great for all of us (and especially for me ).

So : GOOD LUCK

 

[DistillingJim]

Sounds wonderful, Ciennepi. Looking forward to seeing how this progresses!

 

[ciennepi]

Thanks Charly. I remember that you tell me on the resistance of Piloto Cubano against PVY. If I can have some seed next year I will try in my land. But I will try to give the same resistance to Vuelta Abajo type tobacco. I' m a newby and probably Vuelta Abajo, Piloto Cubano and Corojo 99 are so similar each othet that my task is not useful.

 

[Charly]

You will have some Piloto Cubano PR seeds soon (I am waiting for them to dry, so I can send them with the others I promised to you earlier )

I am sure you can get something new when mixing Vuelta Abajo and Nostrano del Brenta

 

[deluxestogie]

...probably Vuelta Abajo, Piloto Cubano and Corojo 99 are so similar each othet that my task is not useful.

I can see significant differences in the three plants, and taste significant differences in the finished tobacco.

Bob

 

[ciennepi]

This is one of the other seed pods, this time a cross between Nostrano del Brenta male and Vuelta Abajo femal. I made either way because we don't know if the gene responsable of resistance to PVY were carried by male or femal DNA.

 

[CobGuy]

A fascinating project ... Buono Auguri!

~Darin

 

[deluxestogie]

You should print that photo and frame it for posterity.

Bob

 

[ciennepi]

Yes, to testify to posterity my failure

 

[CobGuy]

Think positive!

 

[ciennepi]

I have secured the seed of the two way cross.
This is NB male x VA female

And this the othe NB female x VA male.

I let dry the seed pod very well, put in the paper envelope and in my seed bank ( a closed glass jar with calcium chloride in the fridge). Now they can sleep for 4 - 5 months. Good night

 

[ChinaVoodoo]

Very nice! I look forward to your successful 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, & 2024 grow blogs.

 

[ciennepi]

It will be the longest grow blog of FTT!!! I deserve a prize

 

[Charly]

Yes, it will take a few years before you get a stable new pure strain, but it's a good challenge to take
Good luck!

I you manage to create a pvy resistant Vuelta Abajo, I am really interested.