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.
