Securing a strain

[Croc]

So in my quest of ever lasting learning process I was wondering how one is stabilising a strain?

just simple explanation that I can take on for my own experiment.

Now correct me if I am wrong, let me briefly explain my thoughts process here.

lets have 4 strains available, two would be seeds coming from European market ( strain name is irrelevant here ) and we have 2 strains that are landraces from 2 different Asian countries.

So let's say I wanted to create a new strain out of what is available to me, I would then cross breed both of my Asian strains which are regular seeds with my feminised European hybrids, I would then create a strain for each European strains combined with their male Asians counterpart, let them seed away and collect the seeds. So i am ending up now with 4 European strain (2 of each) pollinated by 2 different Asian males. So Now i have created 4 new strains. 

So what is the result of this cross breeding? Will all the seeds of each plants will carry the same characteristics? Will they all produce same planet with same taste and desired effect? Now it comes to mind at least for me that in order to secure that new strain, I would need now to breed it with itself and the result would be a more stabilised new strain. 

This just sound logic to me but again logic might have nothing to do with this.

It is exciting to know that anybody can eventually create its own under the right circumstances...

[Croc]

So nothing, not a thought at all? It's not really a top priority matter for me at the moment, I was just curious... but will defenetly get into it at some point.

All will be part of new tread when it happens. I am planning on building a greenhouse eventually and start making the magic happen from there... 

[Bam-Bhole]

AFAIK. Your first steps sound logic BUT in reality it is way more complicated to get a new strain - instead of 4 very different phenotypes. To get a strain with all the wanted effects the hunt for the right pheno goes on. . Till you found that it might take up to 4,6 or 8 generations. Then make a motherplant and try clones to be sure. Not so sure about IBL. Only when it is needed, hence clones can create mothers etc. All in all I would say leave it or just try out a few crossings. You need 100es of plants, that are not really suited to sell and you can't smoke all that weed. You woud need a team to do some proper strain creation - and you can still find better genetics.. But as a hobyb grow your landraces and cross themwith something you think might fit nicely. but don't get lost in the quest for the perfect strain.

[Cannabissapean]

I agree with Bam-Bhole 100%

Creating a new strain and then stabilizing it is a long long process.

Each time that two plants with unlike sex are crossed, you will get seeds with many variations of phenotypes.

Similarly, when you force the production of pollen by a female plant and cross her pollen with another female plant who is not a clone from the same mother as the hermied female, a similar offspring set of seeds with varying phenotypes will result (although most will be female).

The above steps (either one) is like the first step, in order to see what new phenotypes result.  That was the easy step.

Selecting the specimen that exhibits the characteristics you want.  That could require you to repeat the first steps over and over again until you finally find the right specimen(s).

But now the real work begins.

Once you finally find THE specimen (more practical, identify 5 or 10 favorites), then each of these must be preserved as mothers, and clones therefrom must be cultivated in order to determine their sex and also to test their growth, yield and desired strength or other characteristics desired.  Of course, males and the male's motherplants would normally be destroyed or isolated.  Even this step could require many generations until you are satisfied with your selection of THE specimen.

Once THE specimen motherplant is selected, then begins cloning in a big way, being sure to keep all these clones isolated from the pollen of all other strains.  These clones must be forced-hermied to reproduce with themselves.  And again, sometimes differing phenotypes or genetic defects can creep into the gene pool.  Such defects must be removed or destroyed, and the process continues further with the rest.  Even these steps may require generations of selection.

When the absolute TOP-STRAIN mother is identified, then make clones of her and begin in ernest to increase the numbers of her clones without any pollination.  Eventually when you have enough clones from a single mother, then you can begin in ernest to pollinate many of the clones with the pollen from one of their forced-hermie clone sisters.  The resulting seeds are the beginning of the new strain, and even their following generations will need to be treated similarly to the above steps, in order to begin the stabilization process.  Continued isolation, rejection, cloning, force-hermie pollination, etc. etc.   Many generations of this and the strain approaches stabilization.

One of the really bad things about these processes is that sometimes, the forcing of hermies causes the genetics also to accept being PRONE to hermying on its own.  Very much undesired.

The above is an oversimplified explanation, the process is extremely complicated, and yes, you would need a team of dedicated growers to be successful, either that or lots and lots of time alone and lots and lots of land, property and resources to dedicate to it.

 

[Croc]

Thank you guys for your input, obviously and I was not expecting less then that, securing a strain was way more complicated then I have exposed it... now let's be clear I am not that anal as to find and pursuit my magic strain, to be honest I couldn't care less as I have smoked so much variety and not those sold in dispensary... I am talking of good old landraces from Africa, India, Asia... and of course the main stream strain but really i don't really have a favourite, now don't get me wrong I am far from knowing it all...  

Truely enough, sometimes I wish I could find better quality or even have the luxury of the choice lol... but thinking it through maybe this type of Sativa is more suitable for the country as opposed to a heavy Indica... and I was not talking about growing condition but more of the effect on the body versus the environnement.

So my first thought and my only thought was to keep the Indica genetic going with the seeds I have, which I am sure are Indica, by crossing them with a local Sativa strain, I create then a multitudes of different hybrids.

Some will be more Indica dominant, some more Sativas and others will be a good 50/50 and so on... so in order to keep my Indica genetic going, from the lot I would pick the most Indica and cross it again with a local male or maybe cross it on itself with the most Indica male if available. Then I would again have a variety of different hybrids... and again select the most Indicas and cross breed them again... As for the other consideration such as taste, smell, look those things might come into play as I keep experimenting but it's not my primary goal... so if I do this for few generation then i might be able to stabilise a good hybrid with mainly Indica properties with a twist of Sativa. This is just a private experiment by the way and if I succeed to create an Indica dominant strain, I would have achieved my goal.

I will check around the attempts of others and see how to go about the subject.

[Croc]

Can I safely say that actually there is none of the known strains out there except for landrace that are stabilised... they are all somehow a bit tiny bit different from one to another and evolve in time ever so slightly...

[Cannabissapean]

Óne thing for sure, if you perform any descent attempt to breed when using good quality genetics, you will certainly make lots of good smoke, kief, hash, edibles, etc.

And you'll have fun along the way.

[Croc]

I agree 100% with you here Cannabissapean!! And that's what it's all about!! Making good medecine for some and a lot of fun for the others ?