For growers looking to create their own strains, regular seed is essential. It is the only type of seed that can produce both male and female plants.
Regular seeds are also great for cloning. This allows growers to duplicate an exact genetic copy of a plant, allowing them to maintain the phenotype they are after.
Breeding
In an age where feminized seeds account for the majority of seed sales, it’s easy to forget that regular strains are still important for breeding. Regular seeds allow growers to work with different phenotypes of their favourite strain and preserve and enhance desirable traits for future generations of cannabis.
Feminized seeds are created when a female plant’s pollen is used to pollinate other female plants, which results in seeds that only contain female (XX) chromosomes. Regular seeds, on the other hand, require the use of male pollen to produce seeds that will contain both male and female XY chromosomes.
With their genetic stability, breeding potential, and phenotype variation, regular seeds are a valuable choice for both home and professional growers. Just be sure to perform sexing and monitor your garden closely, as hermaphroditic plants can pose problems. With the right care and attention, regular seeds can deliver a crop of high-quality buds. With the right growing conditions, they can even yield a high-yielding mother plant.
Cloning
When growers clone their favorite strains, they get exact genetic copies that will produce the same buds every time. This is especially important when cultivating rare or exotic strains that require a great deal of attention and care to achieve optimal growth and flower production. To make a clone, a branch of the mother plant is cut when it’s in the vegetative stage. The cutting is then placed in a nutrient solution with a different hormone to encourage root development and growth.
Regular seeds allow growers to take a chance with germinating plants, meaning there’s an even chance they’ll grow into either male or female plants. This allows breeders to cross different strains and explore potential combinations of genetic traits that can lead to unique phenotypes with varying aromas, flavors, and effects. This is essential for developing new strains that will cater to specific tastes, needs, and growing conditions. Regular seeds also preserve genetic stability, which is vital for breeding purposes and preserving desirable traits.
Genetic Stability
Regular seeds preserve the genetic characteristics of their parent plants, offering breeders a variety of options to explore and enhance desirable traits. They also offer the potential for phenotype variation, which results in cannabis strains with unique appearances, aromas, flavors, and effects that cater to different preferences and needs.
In most eukaryotes, DNA mismatch repair (MMR) is crucial for maintaining genomic stability by correcting errors made during DNA replication or by UVB-induced oxidative stress. In Caenorhabditis elegans, mutations at sites of chromosome loss are often observed in MMR-deficient lines.
Feminized seed is a great option for growers looking to reduce the time and effort spent on eliminating male plants. With the guarantee of 100% female plants, you can spend all your energy on the vegetative growth and flowering phase of your crop, allowing your plants to reach their ideal size and yields. This is especially beneficial in short growing cycles where limiting water and nutrients can impact the quality of your buds.
Phenotype Variation
While feminized seeds are a relatively recent development for growers, regular seeds have been around much longer. Feminized seeds produce only female plants, whereas regular seeds have a chance to produce male and female or hermaphroditic plants. This can cause unwanted pollination and a reduction in flower production, which is why feminized seeds are generally more popular for commercial and home growers alike.
There are two main causes of phenotypic variation: genotypic and environmental influence. Genotypic variation occurs when there are mutations in DNA that alter the expression of a gene. This can be caused by random chance (mutations), sexual reproduction (which promotes new combinations of genes) or gene flow (when organisms migrate to and reproduce with a different population).
Environmental influences vary from species to species. These factors can include climate, food availability, and interactions with other species. These factors are considered continuous rather than discrete, and can cause variation in quantitative traits such as flowering time or yield.