FauxRoux
Well-Known Member
I have noticed a few people that seem to be curious about the ins and outs of breeding so I thought I would pass on some basics.
I relied heavily on a few sources and a few textbooks/other books lying around for ease of reference/concise explanation.
Intention:
First what are you trying to do? Create a new strain? continue a genetic line to save a strain? Or cross 2 plants to create a simple hybrid?
Your intention will dictate the direction your breeding program takes.
Continuing a strain:
So you want to continue a strain you have some seed stock of. This is easy. Just mate males and females from the same seed batch from the SAME breeder. The reason for this is that many seed breeders create their own version of popular strains and a mixture would create a great deal of variation. The different versions may exhibit different characteristics from those of other breeders despite being the "same" strain.
Remember that even with a male and female from the same seed batch, that in a small gene pool (A.K.A Low population of plants) you may lose some features of the original parents unless the strain your using is an IBL or from VERY stable inbred pure line's.
Making a simple hybrid:
Again, very easy.Take a male from 1 strain and a female from another. So Jack Herer and Blackberry Kush turns into "JH x BK", but there will be differences in the offspring. Some offspring with exhibit more traits from one parent or the other. Genes not expressed by either parents may turn up.
If you want to breed for specific traits by eliminating variations, ultimately creating uniform plants or even IBL, then you need to know the basics of plant genetics.
Basic Terminology Of Plant genetics:
Genes:
Genes are hereditary information transmitted from parent to offspring. Genes are usually responsible for the inherited features of your plant. Such as potency, leaf color, smell, stem structure, yield, etc etc.
Gene Pairs:
Think of a DNA strand. Now picture it as the zipper on your coat. One half comes from your father and one comes from your mother combined to make a chain of information which dictate the characteristics of the individual. Typically Gene Pairs are denoted by a pair of letters, such as AA, BB, Bb, Pp, pp, etc etc. Capital letters refer to dominant genes while lower case letters refer to recessive genes. For example, B can represent Big bud while b can represent small bud. Any letter can be assigned to any trait or gene pair when you are working out your breeding program.
Chromosome:
A threadlike structure of acids and proteins in the cell nuclei of higher organisms that carries a set of linked genes, usually pairs.
Locus:
A position on a chromosome where a particular gene pair is located.
Allele:
Alleles are any of a number of alternative forms of the gene. For example the gene for purple bud color may have two forms, or alleles, one for purple and one for dark red.
Homozygous:
Having identical alleles at one or more genetic loci, which is not heterozygous and breeds true. Your plant is said to be homozygous for one feature when it carries the same gene twice in the responsible gene pair, which means both genes of the gene pair are identical.
Heterozygous:
Having different alleles at one or more genetic loci. Your plant is said to be heterozygous for one feature when the genes of the responsible gene pair are unequal,or dissimilar.
Phenotype:
A phenotype is all the detectable features of your plant. Taste, smell, color, size, etc etc.
Genotype:
The Genotype is the genetic features of the plant. It represents the genetic makeup that is past on to offspring. Things like how the plant grows, potency, resistance to mold or disease, frequency of traits, etc, etc.
Dominant:
Dominant is a gene or allele that is expressed in offspring even when inherited from only one parent. It is also used to describe a hereditary trait controlled by a gene and appearing in an individual to the exclusion of its counterpart, when alleles for both are present. Only one dominant allele in the gene pair must be present to become the expressed genotype and eventually the expressed phenotype of your plant.
Recessive:
This describes a gene, allele or hereditary trait perceptibly expressed only in homo-zygotes, being
masked in hetero-zygotes by a dominant allele or trait. A gene is called recessive when its effect cannot be seen in the phenotype of your plant when only one allele is present. The same allele must be present twice in the gene pair in order for you to see it expressed in the phenotype of your plant.
Dominant/Recessive and Genetic Notation:
So...Lets say the dominant "B" allele carries the hereditary trait for big bud, while the recessive "b" allele carries the hereditary trait for small bud. Since B is dominant, a plant with a Bb genotype will always produce big bud. The B is dominant over the b. In order for a recessive gene to be displayed in the phenotype, both genes in the gene pair must be recessive. So a plant with the BB or Bb gene will always produce big bud. Only a plant with bb gene will produce small bud.
I relied heavily on a few sources and a few textbooks/other books lying around for ease of reference/concise explanation.
Intention:
First what are you trying to do? Create a new strain? continue a genetic line to save a strain? Or cross 2 plants to create a simple hybrid?
Your intention will dictate the direction your breeding program takes.
Continuing a strain:
So you want to continue a strain you have some seed stock of. This is easy. Just mate males and females from the same seed batch from the SAME breeder. The reason for this is that many seed breeders create their own version of popular strains and a mixture would create a great deal of variation. The different versions may exhibit different characteristics from those of other breeders despite being the "same" strain.
Remember that even with a male and female from the same seed batch, that in a small gene pool (A.K.A Low population of plants) you may lose some features of the original parents unless the strain your using is an IBL or from VERY stable inbred pure line's.
Making a simple hybrid:
Again, very easy.Take a male from 1 strain and a female from another. So Jack Herer and Blackberry Kush turns into "JH x BK", but there will be differences in the offspring. Some offspring with exhibit more traits from one parent or the other. Genes not expressed by either parents may turn up.
If you want to breed for specific traits by eliminating variations, ultimately creating uniform plants or even IBL, then you need to know the basics of plant genetics.
Basic Terminology Of Plant genetics:
Genes:
Genes are hereditary information transmitted from parent to offspring. Genes are usually responsible for the inherited features of your plant. Such as potency, leaf color, smell, stem structure, yield, etc etc.
Gene Pairs:
Think of a DNA strand. Now picture it as the zipper on your coat. One half comes from your father and one comes from your mother combined to make a chain of information which dictate the characteristics of the individual. Typically Gene Pairs are denoted by a pair of letters, such as AA, BB, Bb, Pp, pp, etc etc. Capital letters refer to dominant genes while lower case letters refer to recessive genes. For example, B can represent Big bud while b can represent small bud. Any letter can be assigned to any trait or gene pair when you are working out your breeding program.
Chromosome:
A threadlike structure of acids and proteins in the cell nuclei of higher organisms that carries a set of linked genes, usually pairs.
Locus:
A position on a chromosome where a particular gene pair is located.
Allele:
Alleles are any of a number of alternative forms of the gene. For example the gene for purple bud color may have two forms, or alleles, one for purple and one for dark red.
Homozygous:
Having identical alleles at one or more genetic loci, which is not heterozygous and breeds true. Your plant is said to be homozygous for one feature when it carries the same gene twice in the responsible gene pair, which means both genes of the gene pair are identical.
Heterozygous:
Having different alleles at one or more genetic loci. Your plant is said to be heterozygous for one feature when the genes of the responsible gene pair are unequal,or dissimilar.
Phenotype:
A phenotype is all the detectable features of your plant. Taste, smell, color, size, etc etc.
Genotype:
The Genotype is the genetic features of the plant. It represents the genetic makeup that is past on to offspring. Things like how the plant grows, potency, resistance to mold or disease, frequency of traits, etc, etc.
Dominant:
Dominant is a gene or allele that is expressed in offspring even when inherited from only one parent. It is also used to describe a hereditary trait controlled by a gene and appearing in an individual to the exclusion of its counterpart, when alleles for both are present. Only one dominant allele in the gene pair must be present to become the expressed genotype and eventually the expressed phenotype of your plant.
Recessive:
This describes a gene, allele or hereditary trait perceptibly expressed only in homo-zygotes, being
masked in hetero-zygotes by a dominant allele or trait. A gene is called recessive when its effect cannot be seen in the phenotype of your plant when only one allele is present. The same allele must be present twice in the gene pair in order for you to see it expressed in the phenotype of your plant.
Dominant/Recessive and Genetic Notation:
So...Lets say the dominant "B" allele carries the hereditary trait for big bud, while the recessive "b" allele carries the hereditary trait for small bud. Since B is dominant, a plant with a Bb genotype will always produce big bud. The B is dominant over the b. In order for a recessive gene to be displayed in the phenotype, both genes in the gene pair must be recessive. So a plant with the BB or Bb gene will always produce big bud. Only a plant with bb gene will produce small bud.
