Giant pumpkin
Atlantic Giant is a label for the round phenotypes of the giant squash (popularly called a pumpkin, depending upon fruit color) variety of the species Cucurbita maxima bred publicly from simple Hubbard material through intermittent efforts over the past centuries. The uniqueness of this variety lies in its production of fruits more massive than those produced by any other plant in the world. Fruit can exceed 16 feet in circumference. The heaviest Atlantic Giant on record weighed 766 kg (1689 lb) and was grown by Joe Jutras of North Scituate, Rhode Island in 2007.[1] Under normal conditions the Atlantic Giant can consistently produce fruits in excess of 250 kg (551 lb).
History
As the germplasm of such a giant squash variety is commercially provocative, the name Atlantic Giant came from a U.S. legal protection that was granted for the rounder phenotypes. Numerous labels were created for this variety over the past two centuries. This phenotype recently graduated back to the public domain, retaining the "Atlantic Giant" label. After the Atlantic Giant right expired, an ensuing filing was made in September 1985 and accepted, purportedly for the oblong phenotypes of the variety.[2] This 18-year right expired in 2004, leaving all phenotypes of this originally public variety back into the public domain.
Pumpkin growing competitions
Many people use the Atlantic Giant for competitions at weighoffs and harvest festivals around the world. These rounder phenotypes of the giant squash variety grow larger, thus those which fell under the Dill's Atlantic Giant division are generally not used. Competitive gardeners tend to become extraordinarily involved with their pumpkins. Because of the uncanny genetics of the material, there has been an aggressive and unimpeded increase in fruit weight per generation, and the stability of optimized genomic loci means that it is now relatively easy to grow large fruit in ordinary growing conditions.
Seeds from pumpkins that have been proven to produce big pumpkins can be sold at online auctions for considerable sums of money. The largest contest award paid for a single pumpkin was $53,000 USD to Nathan & Paula Zehr for the first 1,000 lb pumpkin (1061 lb actual weight) at the Clarence NY World Pumpkin Confederation Weigh-Off in 1996.[3] The highest price paid for a single pumpkin seed was USD$850 for a 1068 Wallace seed in 2006.[4] Numerous clubs and organizations dedicated to promoting giant pumpkin growing exist worldwide.
Great Pumpkin Commonwealth
The Great Pumpkin Commonwealth (GPC) is the major organizer and sanctioning body[citation needed] (http://www.greatpumpkincommonwealth.com/) overseeing giant pumpkin and vegetable growing in the United States of America, Canada and Europe. Now with sixty eight weigh-off locations throughout the world the GPC and its sponsored sites are attended by hundreds of thousands to the ever popular annually run festivals and weekend events held each summer and fall.
The GPC's mission cultivates the hobby of growing giant pumpkins throughout the world by establishing standards and regulations that ensure quality of fruit, fairness of competition, recognition of achievement, fellowship and education for all participating growers and weigh-off sites.
2008 Top Ten Pumpkins GPC Rank Weight (lbs)
Grower Name Location Country GPC Site Seed (Mother) Pollinator (Father)
1. 1,536.50
Van Kooten, Jake British Columbia Canada Elk Grove Harvest Festival 1142 Van Kooten 998.6 Pukos
2. 1,528.00
Starr, Thad Oregon United States Half Moon Bay Art and Pumpkin Festival 1350.5 Starr 1041.5 McKie
3. 1,521.50
Werner, Quinn Pennsylvania United States OVGPG Weigh-off 1161 Rodonis 1308 McKie
4. 1,507.00
Jutras, Joe Rhode Island United States Frerichs Farm Weigh-off 1306 Jutras
5. 1,483.50
Werner, Quinn Pennsylvania United States Oakland Nursery's National Pumpkin Weigh-off 1385 Jutras 1207 Young
6. 1,472.50
Werner, Quinn Pennsylvania United States Pumpkinville Weigh-off 985 Werner 998.6 Pukos
7. 1,467.00
Perham, Brad & Walt Washington United States Central Market Shoreline Weigh-off 1385 Jutras 724 Perham
8. 1,464.00
Dwelly, Wesley Massachusetts United States Topsfield Fair Weigh-off 1062.5 Stelts 1502 Wallace '06
9. 1,462.00
Holland, Joel Washington United States Uesugi Farms Pumpkin Patch Weigh-off 1092 Martin 998 Pukos
10. 1,459.00
Sundstrom, Randy and Debra New York United States Pumpkinville Weigh-off 1376 Bobier 1121 Bobier
2008 Top Ten Squash GPC Rank Weight (lbs)
Grower Name Location Country GPC Site Seed (Mother) Pollinator (Father)
1. 1,177.00 Haist, Karl Clarence Center New York United States Cooperstown Pumpkinfest 1028 J Johnson X 409 Haist
2. 1,093.00 Razo, Steve New Middlefield Ohio United States OVGPG Weigh-off 1191.5 X 1221 Werner
3. 1,065.50 TIMM, BRANT Ontario Canada Port Elgin Pumpkinfest 1052.3 TIMM X 848 MACKENZIE
4. 1,056.00 Hebb, Ben Wileville Nova Scotia Canada Windsor-West Haunts Pumpkin Festival 836 Neily X 1068 Wallace
5. 1,027.80 Magdycz, Ken Plainfield Massachusetts United States Topsfield Fair Weigh-off
6. 982.00 Sherwood, Jim Mulino Oregon United States Canby Giant Pumpkin Festival 1129.5 Blalock X Self
7. 973.00 Landry, Russ Thornton Ontario Canada Port Elgin Pumpkinfest 1055* Pitura X Self
8. 969.00 Jutras, Joe North Scituate Rhode Island United States Frerichs Farm Weigh-off
9. 962.00 Murphy, Emma Berwick Nova Scotia Canada Windsor-West Haunts Pumpkin Festival
10. 950.00 Timm, Brant Pembroke Ontario Canada Hugli's Blueberry Ranch Weigh-off 848 MacKenzie 04 X 1052.3 Timm 07
See also
References
- ^ Joe Jutras' 2007 world record pumpkin
- ^ Plant variety protection proceedings USDA #8500204
- ^ P and P Seed article on World Pumpkin Confederation record breakers
- ^ $850 seed on BigPumpkins message board
Further reading
- Susan Warren, Backyard Giants: The Passionate, Heartbreaking, and Glorious Quest to Grow the Biggest Pumpkin Ever, Bloomsbury Publishing, 2007. ISBN 1596912782
External links
- DNAtrackAtlantic Giant family trees and pumpkin stats
- GPC, Great Pumpkin Commowealth
- Howard Dill
- Giant Vegetable Growers of Ontario
- BigPumpkins.com
- Growing Atlantic Giant pumpkins