JRinPA wrote: ↑Mon Apr 01, 2024 8:11 pm Question,
what are the advantages of a third or fourth cotyledon?02.JPG03.JPG

I don't think there is much of an advantage. More of a minor novelty. While it is true that they will help contribute to the photosynthesis, Cotyledons are short lived in importance. Once several sets of leaves have been produced and the plant begins to significantly branch their impact dwindles. My seedlings are only 2 weeks since germination and the tricot is the tallest, but the most vigorous of the dicots have almost caught up now that 3rd sets of leaves are coming in.

I had a heap of tricot seedlings last year. Maybe 25%. I don’t recall which varieties but it was more than one. I was using purchased seed from several sources. I grow a small garden but start far more plants than I need but still well under 50. I also always have high rates of tricot (and higher) seedlings amongst mustards.

This year I had none but I started far fewer seeds.

I always intent to track them but they get lost easily. Once the plants are ready to be transplanted out I can’t easily tell them apart.

I might have kept some records but last year was my worst year for tomatoes I’ve ever had so even if I could track where the tricots went, they didn’t help any with my disease and weather challenges last year.

A little update:

Of the round about 32 F3s (F2 was a tricot), there is one tricot.

None of my other 120 unrelated seedlings is a tricot.

So perhaps this is a result of multiple genes interacting, thus making it quite rare.

I swear the full size plant ends up with more foliage than the regular plants.

50% more?

30% more.
quads were 40% more.
I had a small batch of tricots growing last year but they croaked before I could take photos.
It was a lousy year for tomatoes in my area.

I looked at all the micro this morning and I have 3 different varieties have the tricots I’ve had them before but never noticed anything different from one plant to the other

I never had a chance to clone the full size plants.
I had them segregated but expired before snip snip here snip snip there.
They were the Thessaloniki variety.

AKgardener wrote: ↑Sat Apr 13, 2024 12:26 pm I looked at all the micro this morning and I have 3 different varieties have the tricots I’ve had them before but never noticed anything different from one plant to the other

My Gold Medal tricot initially grew a bit faster than the rest but now that they are all full of foliage and about a foot tall, there isn't a noticeable difference between my tricot and the others. These Gold Medal plants are VIGOROUS growers though. The have significantly outpaced my Black Krim, Mexico Midgets, Amish Paste and Early Girls.