Since some well educated and experienced breeders are gathered round this table I’d like to pose a couple questions:
Cloning a plant, asexual reproduction, seems to render a nearly perfect genetic copy right? Every clone can almost(?) be considered as if it were just another branch of the mother tree.
- What, if any genetic variations can occur in cloning over a long period of time?
Selfing, sexual reproduction via feminized male pollen, is said to produce few variations between the sister plants responsible for newly created seeds.
- What processes produce genetic changes in the selfing process and how significant are those changes likely to be?
Growing out the first generation of S1 (selfed) seeds will show some phenotypic variations even though the genome from both parents was almost identical, right?
- If those S1 seeds were again self pollinated to create an S2 generation, would you expect a significant increase in the number of recognizable phenotype expressions?
I’m kind of at that point with the Frankenstein S1 seeds I am currently growing out so any insights you folks can provide would be appreciated.
-Grouchy