Month: August 2023

Some old-school strains never made it into feminized form, and regular seed can be the only way to grow them. Regular sexed plants also allow breeders to work with a full selection of male and female cannabis plants, reducing waste of growing space, nutrients and light.

Genetic stability is another reason many growers choose to use regular seeds. This is due to the natural proportion of male and female plants they produce.

Breeding

Breeding is the process of producing offspring, whether it be animals or plants. This is accomplished by crossing male and female animals or plants. Seeds derived from these crosses contain inherited characteristics called genes, which control the growth and development of a plant.

One way that cannabis growers and enthusiasts breed is by creating feminized seeds. Feminized seeds are produced by chemically stimulating a pathway in female plants using gibberellic acid. This triggers a response that relieves the repression of genes that express the production of male reproductive parts in female plants. This ensures that the seeds resulting from this process will have only female chromosomes and will produce only female plants.

However, breeding is not just limited to feminized seeds and can also include crossing different strains of marijuana to create new cultivars. This process can be used to combine desirable traits, such as flowering speed or terpene profiles. For example, indica and sativa varieties can be crossed to create hybrid strains with balanced terpene profiles.

Cloning

When growers clone a cannabis plant, they are creating an exact genetic replica of the mother plant. This allows them to maintain a more consistent harvest that is easier to manage for commercial cultivators. Clones also tend to produce bigger yields than seed-grown plants.

However, cloning can also introduce undesired traits into the plant, so it is essential to work with a reliable source. Using a high-quality “mother” plant is also important to ensure that the clones will be free of disease and pests.

In addition, clones are delicate and require a carefully regulated environment during their rooting phase. This means that the grower must be ready to invest a lot of time and effort into their clone project. Seeds, on the other hand, are heartier and more resilient. They also allow the grower to create a unique strain that suits their growing style. However, the process of germinating seeds takes longer and requires a greater investment in supplies such as soil, fertilizer, and lights.

Genetic Stability

Genetic stability is the ability of a plant to maintain its genome. This stability is important in seed breeding because it allows for more consistent genetics, ensuring that each seed produced will carry the same traits as its parent.

There are many factors that can affect genetic stability, including chromosomal instability, mutations in DNA repair systems, and gene silencing. These factors can cause changes in nucleic acid sequences, chromosomal rearrangements and aneuploidy.

Genome instability has been linked to carcinogenesis, neurodegenerative diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and myotonic dystrophy, and several other health conditions. It is also thought to play a role in the aging process, with older individuals tending to have slower DNA repair systems.

Stable genetics are a critical part of seed quality and performance. Inbreeding depression, gender instability and other genetic instability are all problems that can negatively impact the agronomic and genetic properties of seed. Regular seeds are more stable than feminized seeds, and if you grow your own plants from clones, you will have far better results with regular seeds than feminized seeds.

Taxes

When accepting seed funding, it is important to understand the tax implications. The purchase of seeds and other expenses that qualify as taxable income are based on the type of business you operate, so you will need to consult with your accountant or financial adviser.

Although feminized marijuana plants have taken over the cannabis market, regular seeds are still used by many growers. They are preferred by gardeners who enjoy experimenting with new strains. In addition, they allow gardeners to produce their own seed stock.

With a standard sample size, a batch of regular seeds will typically produce 50% male plants and 50% females. However, it is possible for the ratio to swing in favor of males, depending on the conditions and growing technique used. It is also rare for hermaphrodite plants to appear during the flowering stage. In comparison, feminized marijuana plants can develop hermaphroditic tendencies if stressed. This is because they are made using hermaphrodite parent plants and are genetically predisposed to displaying hermaphroditic traits.

Nowadays, growers tend to prefer feminized seeds. They offer consistency, less wasted space and a higher return on investment.

However, regular seed is still a viable option for those who are interested in working with specific genetics.

Male plants give rise to bud-capable offspring in a natural way, allowing for some very interesting crossbreeds.

Breeding

Breeding is the process of transferring desirable traits to offspring. It’s a crucial step in creating new strains and can help increase yield, aroma, potency, and growth rate.

Genetically, breeding is a complex process that can be influenced by many factors including environment and genetics. For example, environmental influences can cause plants to develop phenotypes that are not desirable or can interfere with other desired phenotypes.

When breeding cannabis, it is important to choose a male specimen that possesses the characteristics you desire in your offspring. A good way to identify a suitable male is by looking for plants that have large and abundant anthers and pollen sacs. Once you have located a suitable male, cross it with your desired female to produce seeds. The offspring produced from this crossing are known as F1 seeds. You can then germinate the F1 seeds and select the most promising plants to continue your breeding program. Good breeding requires a keen eye for positive traits and an accurate record-keeping system.

Cloning

Cloning is an asexual reproduction technique used by plants, fungi and some animals. In plants, clones are exact copies of their mother plant and thus inherit all its characteristics. Clones take less time to root than seeds because they are already grown and have a head start on growth. However, this can also mean that they have lower yields.

For a clone to be successful it needs to grow a taproot. This allows it to dig deeper into the soil and get access to water not available closer to the surface.

Clones are very sensitive to their environment and require a high level of humidity. You will need to open your propagator and give the clones fresh air regularly to prevent the clones from drying out. They will also need to be fed, but only with a light fertilizer. This is because clones need to retain water and nutrients for growth. You can use liquid fertilizers, a tissue culture gel or even make your own rooting hormones.

Pollination

From the familiar potted plant to the row crop, every seed-producing botanical species requires pollination for its survival. Pollination is the transfer of pollen grains from a flower’s anthers (male parts) to the stigma (female part). This allows plants to create seeds, which contain their genetic information for future generations. This process is carried out by a variety of biotic and abiotic agents including animals, birds, bees, wind, insects, water, etc.

Each flower has male and female reproductive organs (anthers and carpels). The sepals, which look like leaves and surround the unopened bud, often mimic the color of petals or are a similar shape. The pollen grain lands on the stigma and germinates to become a pollen tube, which extends down the style and into the ovary. There, it fertilizes the ovary and produces a seed.

In some cases, a single successful fertilization can produce an entire fruit cluster or a pod with multiple seeds. However, the pollination process is complex and can be greatly impacted by environmental factors such as drought or extreme temperature shifts.

Genetics

Genetics is the process by which an organism inherits or acquires certain traits, including growth and flowering patterns. The genes that are expressed within an individual cannabis plant influence the phenotype of that particular strain, which can have a wide range of effects on the grower and consumer.

Unlike feminized seeds, which are subjected to a scientific process that forces female plants to produce pollen sacs and pollinate their sister plants in order to eliminate male plants and create sensimilla (cannabis without seeds), regular seeds operate the way nature intended. This means that there’s a 50% chance that any germinating seed will turn out to be either a flowering female or a pollen-producing male.

Growing regular seeds allows you to select the best plants for breeding, or simply enjoy growing strong hermaphrodites that are stress-resistant and able to thrive in any growing environment. The hermaphroditic characteristics of regular seeds also make them perfect for creating clones, which are exact replicas of a chosen specimen.

Seeds contain an embryo and food reserves encapsulated in a protective outer shell. They develop from the fertilized ovule after sperm fertilize the egg in pollen.

Seeds require environmental conditions to grow into plants—including water, oxygen, and favorable temperatures. They can have a hard or thick seed coat (physical dormancy) that needs to be broken, such as by soaking or scarification.

Germination

The process by which a seed grows into a plant is called germination. Most seeds contain an embryo and a store of food reserves, wrapped in a hard shell. The germination process starts with uptake of water, known as imbibition. This causes the seed to swell and soften. The embryo then metabolizes its stored food reserves.

The seed also needs oxygen. The germination process is interrupted if a seed does not get enough oxygen. Some seeds have impermeable seed coats that prevent the uptake of oxygen. This is a form of physical dormancy that can be broken by wearing away the seed coat or exposing the seeds to abrasion.

Some seeds need cold temperatures to wake up from dormancy. This is why some farmers put their seeds in the refrigerator to make them grow faster. It’s also why passing through an emu’s gut can help a seed of the nodding geebung (Persoonia nutans) or snottygobble, in Australia, germinate.

Embryo

The term embryo is used for the very early stage of pregnancy, from fertilization to about week 11. At this time, most of a baby’s critical organs and body structures begin forming.

The single-celled fertilized egg, called a zygote, goes through a process of rapid cell division to produce many more cells. Then the zygote takes in fluid from the uterus to form a hollow sphere of cells called a morula or blastocyst.

At this stage, cells continue to divide and specialize in their functions, a process called differentiation. Cells that will become the embryo’s skeletal system start to develop, while blood cells are formed and circulate. The limb buds that will become the arms and legs grow longer, and a bump forms where the head will develop.

Root

Roots are the primary source of water and nutrients for a plant. They anchor the plant in the soil, transport water and dissolved minerals up through the xylem to the stem and store reserve foods.

The first root to form in seed plants is the radicle, which grows from the embryo after germination. As it grows, the radicle develops a thimble-shaped root cap to protect it in the soil. Behind the root cap is the apical meristem, a zone of actively growing cells that elongates as the root grows.

Most roots grow down into the ground, but some are aerating, rising above ground or above water (like those of mangroves) and having lenticels to allow for gas exchange. Many fungi attack these roots, killing or decaying them and thus reducing the plant’s water and mineral-absorbing capacity.

Leaf

The leaf is the plant’s primary photosynthetic organ, converting sunlight into food energy for the plant. It is typically thin and flat in shape to maximize sunlight penetration. Its surface is covered with a waxy cuticle to reduce water loss. A leaf’s outermost layer is called the epidermis, and it contains stomata (pores) for gas exchange. A pair of sausage-shaped cells, called guard cells, surround each stoma and regulate its opening and closing.

The inside of a leaf is lined with green vascular tissue, called mesophyll. Mesophyll cells are packed with chloroplasts that convert sunlight to sugar for the plant. They are connected to the phloem and xylem by a network of channels called veins.

Leaves are arranged differently in different plants. Some are simple leaves with a single leaflet attached to a long central rib, called a rachis. Other leaves are pinnately compound, with multiple leaflets arranged in pairs on either side of the rachis.

Flower

A flower is the reproductive structure of a plant. Flowers help plants make seeds that contain the genetic information for the next generation of a species. Flowers also attract pollinators to assist in the process of fertilization.

Flowers consist of an outer whorl called the calyx that contains green, leaf-like structures and a colorful inner whorl called the corolla. Flowers that have petals that are free or fused together are called polysepalous and those with petals that are separate but similar in size and shape are referred to as gamosepalous.

The male and female parts of the flower are called the androecium and the gynoecium respectively. The androecium produces stamens that produce pollen and the gynoecium contains the pistils that produce ovules. Flowers are heterosporous, producing two types of spores—microspores and megaspores.