I highly disagree about moving forward on an breeding project with a PM infested plant. I believe it may be or act systemic. I understand science doesn't support my position at this point but 2 decades working with the plant proves otherwise.
If you are blessed with the space breeding for Pm resistance its just a numbers game. Drop a pm covered plant in the middle of you selection run and see what varial is left standing.Of coarse have copys of your keepers backed up for a Pm free run.
I agree it’s risky but I can’t see how else I can select for powdery mildew resistance. I should probably clarify that the abuse I’m inflicting on the clones is sort of a parallel project to what I plan to do with my seeds.
Powdery mildew is likely systemic but some plants handle it better than others, so I want to select for the seeds that perform the best under that type of pressure.
As to what I’m doing with my clones, my theory is that I can force them to be more resilient in a way that doesn’t involve genetics. In other words, I think you can make the plants tougher with stress, similarly to the way a human gets stronger through weight lifting or whatever. If the plants have withstood drought and cold and powdery mildew, they’re just gonna be tougher than the ones that haven’t, is my thinking.
The powdery mildew treatments I have tried (baking soda, milk, etc.) are effective but also stress the plants. I assume powdery mildew is always going to be a problem for me, so I want plants that can withstand the fungus and the treatment.
Anyway, long story short, I’ve had issues with powdery mildew and drought stress and branches breaking from rain. I am just looking for a way to select for plants that can overcome those challenges. I’m an outdoor guy who doesn’t particularly care about producing gorgeous nugs.
Basically all the weed I harvested this year was premature due to rain, etc., and it still gets me high. I’m more interested in low maintenance than high THC, if that makes sense.