Hybridizing and crossing cannabis genetics to obtain your own variety has always been the dream of every grower. in this article I will try to explain the basics to understand what happens when more or less pure genetics are breeded. Often when it's time to buy, the novice grower can be confused by certain acronyms that are written next to the name of the marijuana variety. With the knowledge of a few basic concepts you will be able to make the correct choice between seeds with the same name but different acronyms. There is a big difference between buying second generation seeds (F2) or stable hybrid seeds (IBL), even if we are talking about seeds of the same variety. These differences will condition both the growth trend of the plant and the final product.
Marjuana breeding how to preserve genetic
Pure breeds of cannabis or landaraces (P1)
Also known as landraces, pure cannabis genetics were the basis of the genetic crosses found on the market today. These species are typical of a certain geographical area, where they have never been crossed with other varieties. There is a large variety of landraces around the world, all belonging to the three cannabis families Sativa, Cannabis Indica and Ruderalis. Nepal is a good example of this, different pure breeds of marijuana grow in this country, mainly sativas, it is easy in those places to spot the differences between the various native species found between the hills and mountains.
Each variety expresses its genetic code (genotype) with a certain number of growth and flowering patterns (phenotypes). In this way the varieties of pure breeds, therefore with a more pure genotype, will have greater homogeneity, with only small differences between the various phenotypes. In this case we could therefore expect a very subtle variation between samples of native breeds of the same type, having plants with very similar growth and the same organoleptic and psychoactive characteristics. A good example of these varieties would be Early Maroc .
stabilized hybrids cannabis inbreding (IBL)
The acronym IBL (inbreed line) means that the cross was made using plants with almost the same genotype (inbreeding). On the other hand, the term outbreeding means instead the crossing of varieties with different genotypes, thus giving new and more different characteristics to the breed. Although it occurs spontaneously in nature, self-pollination is a technique commonly used by breeders to fix the desired characteristics and stabilize the genetic line, whether it is a landrace or hybrid. In IBL cannabis genetics the seeds should exhibit a highly uniform growth. Classic examples of Stabilized Hybrids can be all the skunk lines that fill the catalogs of the major seed banks such as: Philo Skunk (Philosopher Seeds),Sweeth Tai (Sweet Seeds), Northern Lights (Vision Seeds) or White Widow (Vision or Dinafem), Chemdawg ( Humboldt Seeds ), Durga Mata ( Paradise seeds ).
The production of IBLs like these is not easy at all and requires a considerable effort and time, with a selection of pure samples, which must be used in order to select the correct genetics. Furthermore, the grower will have to fight against the "depression", also called "recessive character" due to the inbreeding of the samples, resulting from the crossing of plants with very similar genetic information. The right reward for doing this job well, however, will be to obtain a highly stable variety.
If we cross between two different autochthonous breeds or between two IBL lines (A and B genetics) with different genotypes, the result will be an F1 hybrid, i.e. the first filial generation of the cross of phenotype #1 (relative A) with phenotype #2 (relative B). Usually in this type of crossing we will observe very uniform offspring, obviously this will depend on how stable the relatives are. The F1 hybrid obtained from two pure breeds or between two IBLs will demonstrate the so-called hybrid vigor, also known as heterosis, ie the invigoration due to the crossing of different breeds, leading to the birth of new genes that will produce better specimens. Varieties such as Juanita la Lagrimosa (Reggae Seeds), Moby Dick(Dinafem Seeds), Naranchup or Amnesika (Philosopher Seeds), are good examples of F1 hybrids. While the acronym F1 refers to the first generation of any type of cross, the F1 hybrid is used for crosses with different autochthonous breeds or with two different breeds of stable hybrids (IBL).
Multi hybrids
When we cross two F1s we get the second generation or F2, and so on for the following generations. The second generation often gives more heterogeneous resaults than the F1, we might expect 25% similar to parent A, 25% to parent B and 50% will be a mixed variety of the two parents. As a consequence, the stabilization work will have to continue, generation after generation, until a uniform lineage of the variety we are looking for is born. Many of the seeds that we can find in stores are multi-hybrid, i.e. crosses between different hybrids. The offspring of these crosses are in many cases quite patchy, producing plants with very different characteristics. Remember that in these cases the genetic mix is very varied, therefore using multi-hybrid seeds one can never expect the homogeneity that F1 hybrids have. It's easy to understand how complex it can be to stabilize a cross, especially since you are making more and more particular mixes that require an increasingly long and difficult stabilization process. Most of the hybrids that exist on the market are in fact multi-hybrid, such as theDj's Gold (Dna Genetics), Lemon Og Kush (Dna Genetics) or Jack el Fruttero (Philosopher Seeds).
BX or backcrossing
Backcrossing is a technique commonly used by growers to fix certain characteristics. This method is obtained by crossing the progeny (F1, F2....) with one of the original relatives that has the desired characteristic. To have an even more stable expression of the desired traits, the backcross (BX1) can be crossed again with the original relative, obtaining a BX2 and once again to have a BX3 and so on. This technique is also used to replicate clones in the form of seeds. It is obtained by choosing a male relative to cross with the clone. Backcrossing is often necessary to obtain offspring as similar as possible to the desired original clone. The Apollo 13Bx is an excellent example of this technique.
S1, feminized cannabis seeds
The acronym S1 refers to the first offspring generation resulting from crossing the plant with itself. This technique is used to change the sex of the desired female plant, take its pollen and use it to pollinate it. If done properly, you will get feminized offspring with the same genotype as the parent used. So as to produce S2 or S3 seeds which will then be backcrossed again with the original parent. Examples of S1 are Tropimango (Philosopher Seeds), SAD (Sweet Seeds) or Sweeth Skunk S1 (Chimera Seeds).
