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#275804 Apr 21st, 2009 at 12:37 PM
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KeithP Offline OP
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Found this among other sunflower seedlings. It has been in full sun for days and still remains yellowish-white. It's seed was almost pure white aswell, normal seed is white with black stripes. Other seedling (green) is what all the rest of the seedlings look like. I separated it and gave it it's own space so it has no competition, i'm hoping it has a chance to grow. If it is an albino, how can I help it live? In over 10 years of growing sunflowers I have never seen one like this before.

seed
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albino seedling?
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normal seedling
[Linked Image]

KeithP #275807 Apr 21st, 2009 at 12:54 PM
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albino seedlings just lack chlorophyll. In most cases, if they don't green up, they won't survive because they can't make their own food. I don't think there's much you can do to keep it alive if unless it greens up (looks like its starting to). Albinism can either be genetic (the seed was programmed to turn out albino) or environmental (it didn't get light when it sprouted, and there was no need for chlorophyll so it didn't produce any). If the seedling makes it and you want to preserve the strain, you'll have to make sure you grow it 'isolated' so the pollen from your sunflowers don't get crossed. Most of the seeds that we get have such a complicated genetic background that most of the time, seed grown plants can show characteristics from many generations ago. Also, if the embryo inside the seed was set, but the seed itself (the hull) was mature enough when the seed was picked, the seed won't get its black bands.


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When weeding, the best way to make sure you are removing a weed and not a valuable plant is to pull on it. If it comes out of the ground easily, it is a valuable plant. Mary Ann LaPensee
KeithP #275808 Apr 21st, 2009 at 12:56 PM
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I had an albino sunflower a few years ago. (Can't find the picture or I'd post it.) As I recall, its codyledons did eventually begin to turn a light shade of green just about the time the first true leaves were unfolding.

I had it in a pot that was massively planted w/ sunflowers. Because its growth was so stunted, it didn't keep up and eventually kicked the bucket. But it was fascinating to see watch its development. I should note that it came from a bag of black oil sunflower seeds (birdfood).

Will you be collecting the seed if it survives?


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Marica #275812 Apr 21st, 2009 at 01:09 PM
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This is the smallest of all the seedlings, it's just starting to develop "true leaves" when the rest already have small true leaves, though it just rained so they got some mud on them so i'll have to get it off and see if they are green, then it might make it. The leaves have since "widened" and opened more like the others since the transplant and fertilizer, so it's still growing.

Yes it's from bird seed, but it's not the all black seeds, these are large and are white with black stripes.

If it does make it yes I will be saving the seeds, perhaps putting some sort of bag over it so other pollen wont get in it may work, like rose breeders do to prevent accidental pollination by other crosses.

Here is an updated picture of it from today, it got bigger!
[Linked Image]

Last edited by KeithP; Apr 21st, 2009 at 01:41 PM.
KeithP #277187 Apr 27th, 2009 at 10:56 AM
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After reading all the info given here...I still think it would be really cool to see a white sunflower!!


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Shirley4 #279322 May 9th, 2009 at 02:28 PM
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Sadly, the Albino sunflower died. tears

We have had 3 straight weeks of heavy rain, some days more than others, and the plants here got waterlogged, and being sunflowers like alot of sun, it basically got soft and brown and rotted to the ground. I'm sad because usually we never have this much rain.

Even the normal colored sunflowers were dying off from the excess amount of water thats how much we have had. At least I gave it a chance.

KeithP #300962 Nov 30th, 2009 at 07:49 PM
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Meant to fix the link in the first post, this was the picture of the albino sunflower. [Linked Image]

KeithP #303915 Jan 26th, 2010 at 11:53 AM
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up

Wild Willy #303944 Jan 26th, 2010 at 01:44 PM
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Originally Posted by Wild Willy
up


Am I missing something here?

KeithP #308960 Mar 2nd, 2010 at 11:45 AM
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I think 'up' is just to bring the thread nearer the top of the forum, so others will notice it.

And this one, I agree with Willy - it needs 'boosting'. I'll keep my eye on this thread to see what I can learn about this flower.


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Carly #349289 Oct 27th, 2011 at 07:32 AM
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I found another this year and got 2 pics of it growing before it died. I didn't know how to graft it, otherwise it might have had a chance.
[img]http://lh3.ggpht.com/Fhg_3LG5Y6nepH...kCDOx419QmHCXWCd28894V2vTKrUo47r2S=s1200[/img]
[img]http://lh6.ggpht.com/NmL77pvH0QXuAw...BMGtOVuxA_78rkXn_Gd1hJAvBVM5SNt0C_WN_kJg[/img]

Last edited by KeithP; Oct 27th, 2011 at 07:33 AM.
KeithP #349298 Oct 27th, 2011 at 09:46 PM
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Sadly the little plants you show pics of never really had much chance. If the seed coat came out white then it was not fully developed before the sunflower plant that it came from aborted it. That they germinated at allis a bit of a surprise. With out the green in the leaves it won't make it. Usually when I get albino's growing if I can get them to live for a few weeks is it. One of the ladies where I work dealt with sunflower crop lines for a while and had some success at grafting but they do need to have true leaves and be healthy first. That was a while ago that she did sunflower, we no longer handle them at this station.


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