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A Tomato for Missoula: Open-Source Citizen Science Tomato Breeding

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
Rocky Mountain Gardens is doing a tomato trial. Trials are the first step in plant breeding. For the better part of the last hundred years regional universities have had tomato breeding programs but these ended in the early 1990s. Climate change and evolving tomato pests and pathogens may mean that tomato varieties once adapted here may not always be so. The whole concept of what a tomato is has gotten amazingly fancy in recent years- and we can't let Montana be left behind! Citizen science tomato breeding is the answer to how Montanans can get their hands on amazing new regionally adapted varieties- and keep them coming!

In this workshop we will have a brief background session to explain what William has been doing with tomato breeding and why. We will talk about how to make tomato crosses. Then we will go out to the tomato trials and make as many crosses as we possibly can make together! Everyone will get to try to dissect a tomato flower, remove the anthers, and then extract pollen from another flower to make a new tomato!

ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR
William Schlegel is an independent tomato breeder. He is the breeder of several tomato varieties and tomato breeding seed mixes available through Snake River Seeds and Experimental Farm Network including Mission Mountain Sunrise, Exserted Tiger, and Mission Mountain Tomato Grex I and II.
His Montana Tomato Project has been his attempt to breed new tomatoes for Montana- and he would welcome you to join in! William is also the breeder of the only Open Source Seed Initiative pledged fava bean. In William's spare time he works as a field botanist and/or science teacher.

DETAILS
Tuesday, August 11
6 - 8 pm
Lupine Lab, 1st floor Exploration Center
1075 South Avenue West
$15/person
REGISTRATION REQUIRED

Please note, we do not offer refunds for classes/events. Refunds may be issued if the event is rescheduled or cancelled, in which case we will reach out to attendees.