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Fantastic info my friendglad to hear the wife is ok Chris, cars are replaceable, people not so much.
I am no breeding expert, but cannabis breeding sparked my interest in horse breeding years ago. While plants and animals are obviously very different, I think there are some similarities one can use to gain a better understanding of general breeding/genetics. But I don't think looking at humans for breeding examples is productive as there havent been enough documentation/studies or specified breedings.
Looking into any livestock breeding will give you a lot more information as they have been documented and recorded for decades/centuries, especially the europeans, who are years ahead of north America in breeding experience/knowledge.
that being said, breeding is a crap shoot, regardless of what it is, you never know what the results might be.
one thing that's generally accepted amongst horse breeders' is that the mare is usually responsible for 80% of the foals genetic make up. That explains why Dutch/German/France etc, have produced the majority of the Olympic level horses ridden by every major country from canada and usa to saudi arabia and china. They hold the mares bloodlines, some family farms go back 2-300 years.
to me, a strong mare line is representative of a strain such as the original Cinderella 99. Everyone used it to breed to as it was stable, and from what I have read/come across info wise, no matter what male is used, the offspring expressed more of the mothers traits. this would, to me, make chris' observations in line with the general rule of 80% comes from the mom.
I think where cannabis breeding is severely lacking is coming from the input/selections people are making with regards to males.
why do I think this? Taking it back to what I am familiar with, finding a stallion who makes a distinct impression upon his offspring, regardless of the mother lines, is what every breeder hopes to find.
But raising/training stallions is expensive and a risk, many put 4-5years into colts/stallions of remarkable bloodlines and then their off spring dont come close to the quality that they should have produced.
the world famous stallions are the ones that the breeder, or owner, saw something special in where many would have given up. these stallions pass on their traits, athletic ability, smarts, physique, regardless of the mare lines.
bringing that back to our cannabis scene, many breeders don't do any, or very little, male selection. I know some do, but I feel like over the years this has been overlooked by most, and again doesn't help that prohibition hasn't provided breeders with the space/ability to hunt for a good male, without ruining their crops. feminized seeds havent really helped the case either, and in my opinion, can lack some of the quality that regular seeds do.
I think the future of producing quality cannabis is going to come from breeders abilities to hunt for the strong males that will pass on and enhance the qualities of the females that they already have.
like van said, you would need to grow out thousands of plants. But I am of the opinion that the true power of our plants is still hidden due to the lack of quality breeding/selections in preserving the male genetics. Finding that perfect male/female combo could throw out the most potent cannabis seen to date.
anyways... I didn't mean to type this much... Sorry folks... Genetics just intrigue me. It's a gamble and rolling the dice is addictive.
Ya human and plants didn't coralate to me either
I worked at nurseries, plants, as a kid and saw grafting and stuff and always intreaged me
The horse comparison makes sense.
I've made and grown 6 of my own strains, well made more but just grown 6 so far. I can really see the mothers traits and not so much the father's
I'll be researching this aot more
Feel free to chime in with a y small or LARGE comments, I'm very interested in learning
