When we hear about genetics, the first image that comes to mind for many of us is that of Mendel's peas. Through experimenting with different crosses of pea plants, Gregor Mendel described in the 19th century how characteristics are passed on from one generation to the next through genes and discovered that inheritance follows specific patterns.
Mendel's Experiments and Cannabis: The Basis of Genetics
In the course of their work Mendel studied the inheritance of seven different characteristics in peas.Mendel investigated how seven different characteristics are transmitted in pea plants, including plant height, flower color, seed color and seed shape. Mendel investigated how seven different characteristics are transmitted in pea plants, including height, flower color, seed color and seed shape. To do this, he first developed pea lines that had two different versions of the same characteristic, such as tall versus short plants. He bred these lines for several generations until he was sure that they were genetically pure, i.e., that they always gave rise to offspring that were the same as the parents. He then crossed these lines with each other and observed how the different traits were inherited.
In addition to noting the appearance of the plants in each generation, Mendel kept an accurate record of the number of plants showing each trait. To his surprise, he discovered that all the traits followed very similar inheritance patterns. In all cases, one form of a trait (for example, the tall plant) dominated over the other (the short plant) in the first generation after crossing. He called this visible form dominant featurewhile the one that remained hidden he called it recessive trait.
In the second generation, when the plants self-fertilized (i.e., self-pollinated), the recessive trait reappeared, although in a smaller proportion. Specifically, for every four plants, about three showed the dominant trait and one the recessive trait. Mendel also discovered that different characteristics were transmitted independently of each other from each other. For example, the fact that a plant was tall did not affect the color of its flowers or the shape of its seeds.
Mendel's experiment has since become the theoretical basis for all genetics in plants, animals, and humans, including obviously the cannabis. Just as genetics in people influence the color of their eyes or their height, the same is true for plants. In the world of cannabis, theenetics is the key to know how our plants will look like.If they will grow tall, if they will have a strong effect, what flavor they will have, etc.
Although it may seem a complicated subject (and genetics is a complex science), don't worry, here we explain everything in a simple way. Let's see what it means for a plant to be "genetically stable", what types of cannabis exist according to their origin, and why all this matters when growing or consuming. More information about Mendel and his experiments with peas.
What is genetic stability?
When we talk about genetic stability We are referring to how predictable the plants that will be born from a seed will be. If a variety is stable, the plants born from it will be very similar to each other. If it is unstable, each one may turn out differently. This is the primary goal of any self-respecting breeder, to get seeds with identical results or as similar to each other as possible.
At this point it is worth highlighting two concepts that will help us to understand what we mean by stability. On the one hand, we have the concept "genotype" which is something like the "DNA" of the plant, its internal plane. On the other hand, we have the "phenotype" which, in our understanding, is the set of physical characteristics that we perceive of the plant, what we see and feel: color, size, flavor, etc. We could say that the phenotype is the result of the sum of the genotype with the environment where it grows.
Thus, we can say that a stable plant is one that, generation after generation, produces daughters with similar characteristics. This is what cannabis breeders are looking for, to ensure that what you buy in seed form, becomes the plant you expect.
Breeders carefully select which males and females to cross, choosing those with the desired traits. They do this for several generations until most of the plants share the same characteristics.
Feminization of marijuana seeds
Within this whole process, you may also wonder how to get all the offspring of a plant to be female. As you may know, and if you don't know it, we will explain it to you, female plants are the only ones that give cannabis flowers, and therefore, the only ones that produce cannabinoids.
As a result, most seed banks want to produce only feminized seeds so that when they reach the consumer, he has the absolute guarantee that the plants he will produce will generate flowers and there will be no surprise with any male that can pollinate the rest of the plants and generate seeds inside the buds with the problems of taste and smell that this generates when, unintentionally, they are burned or smoked.
To ensure that once a stable and homogeneous variety has been obtained, all its offspring are female, a complex process is carried out. Once the males and females we want have been selected, and just before the pollination process, the flowers of the female plant are subjected to a chemical process (complex and different depending on who performs it) which blocks the development of male traits, ensuring that the offspring will be only female.
This can also be achieved, albeit in an infinitely less efficient and less reliable way, by stressing the plants. This process is based on subjecting the plant to small doses of stress to provoke a sex change. Slight changes in photoperiod, controlled temperature changes or specific pruning can trigger this effect. However, if not done carefully, this stress can deteriorate the overall health of the plant.
Genetic origin applied to Cannabis
In addition to all that we have explained above, another of the most important issues when carrying out this work of pollination and hybridization is naturally the starting point on which we begin the work, which is called the basic genetics or the basic genetics. Landrace.
Before the explosion of breeding that occurred mainly during the last two or three decades, the varieties of cannabis were much fewer and the characteristics of each one were much more marked and originated mainly by the climate, the geographical location and the characteristics of the soil where they grew. Each of these original families is known as the Landraces.
Landraces are the soul of cannabis. These ancestral genetics are the basis of everything. And understanding them is like knowing the root of a tree: it connects you with something bigger, with the living history of this millenary plant.
Since this point is as extensive as the history of botany itself, for now we just want you to keep it in mind and understand the importance of the origin of each variety throughout history, but all this will be explained in another post much more exhaustively.
Conclusions
In conclusion, we can say that to know the origin and genetics of your plants will allow you to choose varieties that are best suited to the climate where you want to grow, as well as to know what kind of effect to expect (relaxing, cerebral, etc.) and to appreciate the history and culture behind each variety.
All this information is basic for you to be able to getting the most out of your seedsThe World Breeders seeds will optimize the conditions of your crop and get the best results so that your satisfaction with World Breeders seeds will be total and you will come back for more.
We invite you to browse through our store to choose your seedtaking into account everything we have told you about origins and genetics.
By Joseba Del Valle
