Regular seed is a good choice for novice growers who want to experience the entire growing cycle. However, it can be difficult to manage and may require extra effort for the grower or breeder to remove male plants.
The seeds of regular marijuana plants produce both male and female plants, but breeders can use the pollen from the males to fertilise their favourite phenotypes. This is how new strains are created.
Cost
The cost of regular seed is determined by a number of factors, including the price of land and labor. In addition, it depends on the broader political economic dynamics that shape and constrain efforts to improve seed systems. These include the agrarian structure and governance, social inequalities, and the political economy of food systems.
When breeding cannabis, breeders need regular seeds because they produce plants that are clonable and capable of rooting well. They also provide high germination rates and consistent quality. These traits are important for creating new cultivars and improving existing ones.
Unlike feminized seeds, regular marijuana seeds operate exactly how nature intended them to. They have a 50/50 chance of being either male or female, and are free from human tampering. This makes them more valuable for breeders because they allow them to create hermaphrodites, and to produce higher-quality clones. They can also be crossed with other cultivars to produce hybrids with improved characteristics, such as a higher profile of terpenes or specific colors.
Genetics
Regular seeds are a great option for the gardener who enjoys making their own seed stock. They can be used to grow male plants that will pollinate female plants, and then the resulting seeds can be harvested and planted for future crops. However, this process is not easy for novice growers, and it requires a good understanding of plant anatomy. It can also be difficult to identify male plants and safely remove them from the females.
A QTL mapping approach was used to identify genetic factors affecting seed size and number. The results showed extensive phenotypic variation and broad-sense heritability for both traits. The QTL for seed size on chromosome 2 did not overlap with the QTL for fruit number, suggesting that these two traits are affected by different genetic factors.
The seed size/number trade-off is likely determined by both genetic and life-history factors. The genetic factors may affect both traits directly, or indirectly through the allocation of resources to reproduction.
Pollination
Since regular seeds produce both male and female plants, growers have to deal with the hassle of weeding out all the males or risk ruining their entire crop. The best way to get around this problem is by using feminized seeds. Feminized seeds are guaranteed to be 100% female and require no manual pollination.
To be successful, pollination must occur between flowers of the same plant species. This can happen when birds, bees, bats, moths, butterflies, or other animals carry pollen from anther to stigma on a flower. It can also happen when pollen is moved within a flower by wind or water.
In order for pollination to occur, the bloom periods of the pollinizer and main variety must overlap. In addition, the pollinizer must have viable diploid pollen and be near the producing variety. The temperature of the room where pollination occurs should be 24 oC and humidity no more than 65% to allow the pollen spores to remain suspended in the air for longer.
Yield
For those who enjoy breeding their own Cannabis, regular seeds are an excellent option. These seeds contain a mixture of male and female chromosomes, and produce an approximate 1:1 ratio of male and female plants. This is how Cannabis was bred for centuries, and it is still used today.
It is possible to separate the sexes of the plant, and use pollen from the male plants to fertilize the females. This is a very tedious process, but it can be done with great success. Using this technique can yield large quantities of high-quality weed seed.
Another way to improve yield is by using a hybrid strain. This can lead to more complex terpenes, larger yields, and faster trichome development. This can increase the potency of the buds produced by the plant, and is especially important for growers who plan to harvest their crops for medicinal purposes. In some cases, the vigor of a plant can be determined by examining the weight of the seeds it produces.
