It is not everyone’s ambition to start their own seed company, and no one is advising you to do so. On the other hand, creating your cannabis strains can be a lot of fun.
It is very simple to cultivate your cannabis varieties, which may be a green goldmine. Even if you don’t create the next big thing like cannabis seeds, it’s worth a try. Cross-breeding your marijuana strains is an excellent method to learn about cannabis genetics and build a huge genotype library. So let’s learn from the pros.
The Making of Cannabis Strains
To understand how new cannabis strains are developed, it’s necessary to realize that male and female cannabis plants exist. Female plants are the only ones that produce flowers (buds, nugs).
To establish new genotypes or strains, breeders require male and female plants. Male plants fertilize female plants, and the resulting seedlings are nurtured to identify and isolate flowering females. After identifying the female seeds, they are developed into the numerous plant kinds resulting from parent strains. These are known as phenotypes.
Understanding phenotypes
The physical appearance of a cannabis plant is governed by its genotype and how the environment affects its expression.
It is the environment that triggers gene activation, not the presence of the gene. Different genes will be active or repressed under different situations. Light, air, water, and nutrient levels can activate or inhibit certain genes.
The phenotype of a cannabis plant is determined by its genotype and the environment in which it grows. Environmental factors can cause genetically identical plants to develop drastically different phenotypes. Some seeds, for example, grow differently indoors and outside. Phenotypic plasticity can adapt to changing environmental conditions.
Why is phenotype used to explain cannabis strains?
Cannabis grew organically before human interference, adapting to the climate and environmental circumstances. Indica plants thrived in mountainous places and responded well to harsher, cooler settings, producing short, stocky plants. Plants with larger leaves and shorter bloom durations than sativas were popular. Natural selection has resulted in Sativa variations that can thrive in tropical rainforest conditions, resulting in towering plants with narrow leaves.
As cannabis breeders crossed these varieties, it became clear that the new hybrid varieties could produce various phenotypes and genotypes. Having a varied range of phenotypes in their grow environment is a significant bonus for some producers. A vast range of flavours, scents, and highs are possible because of the variability. (www.cantravelwilltravel.com) However, many growers (particularly large-scale commercial producers) prefer clones over seeds since they yield nearly identical plants.
Parent-strain selection
The secret to picking the perfect male marijuana plant is to use expert senses. Deciding which one has the most attractive smell and development is crucial. Of course, only male cannabis plants with a strong root system should be chosen. Breeders usually cut a few branches to check for hollow stems. A hollow stem indicates strong THC production in cannabis plants.
Crossing the female plant with late-blooming males will maintain the desired qualities from the fem. The best way to grow the right male is to allow it to grow in ideal conditions, isolated. It is recommended to let them flower longer to understand more about their developing characteristics. The next step is to collect pollen and pollinate the female plants.
Backcrossing
This is not the end of high-quality breeding. After a breeder has crossed a strain and narrowed down a phenotype to the one they desire, the strain is often backcrossed to strengthen its genetics.
Backcrossing is a process in which a breeder inbreeds a new strain by crossing it with themselves or a parent. This increases the strain’s homozygosity. This improves its genetics and desirable characteristics while transmitting those genes generationally.
The hybrid strain you purchased at the dispensary has been subjected to months, if not years, of growth, crossing, and backcrossing, as well as a selection method to identify the strain’s optimal phenotype.
How do new strains get their names?
The names given to new products by breeders are based on a combination of look, flavour, and genetics. This technique resulted in Lemon Skunk, a citrus-forward hybrid of two Skunk phenos. The majority of names are acceptable, while there are some limits and laws, such as those forbidding trademark infringement and appealing to children.
Conclusion
When you start growing, you have little or no idea what cannabis phenotypes you will receive. However, you can improve your odds by starting with high-quality cannabis seeds from a reputable seed provider. You can also improve the conditions in your grow chamber.
Because of the optimized spectrum and reduced heat stress, growing with LED lights is a proven technique to elevate your harvest quality to the next level. You can also try to simplify the process by using organics with nutrients.