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BREED TRUE
I have a question about breeding cannabis. Does the term „hybrid vigor“ imply that we’ve bred out this strength from repeated back-crossing and the resulting loss of the second gene copy? I believe it’s like „pure-bred“ dogs in that, to get a true-breeding strain, you must cleave off the second copies by breeding back to a parent.
Coinspinner
Dear Coinspinner,
Hybrid vigor is the result of crossing two dissimi¬lar strains, such as a sativa from Africa and an indica from India. Also referred to as an Fl cross, the seeds from this pairing will perform with more gusto than either of their parents. The F2 and further crosses will not result in hybrid vigor—only the first generation will benefit from the vitality and strength of growth produced. The best seed breeders sell Fl crosses with hybrid vigor, as these make the best mother plants for future clone gardens. Growers wishing to take advantage of hybrid vigor on their own would benefit from reading up on breeding theory, terms and techniques. The best place to begin is with Robert Connell Clarke’s book, Marijuana Botany: Propagation and Breeding of Distinctive Cannabis.
The second breeding technique you’re referring to is called back-crossing, wherein a particular strain is „crossed back“ to its parent or even grandparents. This is done in order to stabilize the genetics, as long as you’re growing out large populations and choosing wisely for desirable traits. Each subsequent generation should be more and more consistent in producing plants with the qualities you most desire, whether it’s potency, flavor, odor, yield or bud structure.
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