hi . im interested to hear peoples thoughts on :
1)what is more vast ? the ammount of phenotypes of a given cultivar or the ammount of similar genotypes of related ancesters ?
2)what do you think about using elite clones as breeding stock ? essentially in my understanding a clone is a phenotype that is perpetuated indefinitely as a mother plant or makes up 50 percent of any f1 hybrid . im mostly trying to understand if there are drawbacks to using such a plant in breeding over time.
As a practical background to these questions im considering - i am trying to decide if i would have better luck in creating a particular strain if i A)modify the existing strain by breeding phenotypes (selective) or B) search for a cultivar with the desired traits and try introducing them (crossbreeding) . cheers 
do you know who Ghengis Khan is?
you might look into how many people descend from him to get the human version of how much variation can come out. be your own judge.
some traits won’t always/ever pass down. some pass easily/noticeably. it complicated sometimes, but almost anything can happen.
Cool. So do you think anything can happen when you are using a special clone as a parent for example? Or rather is there less that would happen. More predictable
No.
You’re going to kill that clone or get bored with it before you have to worry about any kind of degradation in the plant. No genetic drift, no DNA replication errors, no mutations
These old heads like to talk about 20 or 50 year old cuts, and concerns that arise. Seek their guidance after 10 years when it could be an issue. Until then make some plants and have a good time
Some definitions first: a clone is a genotype that expresses different phenotypes depending on environmental factors. A genotype is the whole DNA of a single plant.
A cultivar is a line of cannabis, a “strain” if you will, which contains as much different genotypes as there are seeds of it.
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I don’t get the implications of your question, so it’s difficult to answer. Why do you want to know which one is the more vast?
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Using an “elite” as a parent is the same as using any other plant. It all depends on its genotype, how it passes traits or not, how it dominates, and more importantly, how it fits your objectives. Keeping in my mind a lot of “elites” are herm bagseeds that passes the herm traits.
About the background: it all depends if/how much the desired traits are already in your plant or strain/cultivar. How dominant or recessive they are, how linked to other traits. To know that and take the decision, make seeds and grow a lot of them. Outcrosses and/or incrosses. Then watch how the desired traits passes, in which proportions, in which populations. Then you’ll know better which path to choose.
Oooooh it can be much quicker than 10 years believe me 
It all depends how well you manage your mother. It can only take one single systemic fungus attack and you’re screwed… Guess why tissue culture is becoming so trendy 
Tacitly concluded and succinctly stated, @funkyfunk! Bravo.
That clear definition of foundational terminology is so frequently mangled in this type of conversations.
- Each and every single seed is technically a Genotype.
- Clones are an expression of the parent Genotype.
- Seeds, even S1 seeds from a reversed parent, are a sexual reproduction with significant genetic mixing and they each represent a unique Genotype that often varies greatly from the parent.
Phenotypes are the physical expression of a genotype, meaning the observable characteristics of growing plants, as determined by both genetics and epigenic environmental factors.
I may get spanked for these simplistic definitions but that’s how I understand it.
-Grouchy
I love simplistic definitions. It’s a good entry point to understanding.
Hey thanks Grouchy, yours are quite good too.
Took a bit of time myself to get them straight, but it really helps when this concepts are clear.
Being able to define terms simply is the best way to know you got them
Awesome. Cher for some easy ways to understand better:).
Concretely- I was thinking if I’d have more luck searching within phenotypes of the same strain. Or- perhaps searching within phenotypes of the same strain crossed with something else. If that something else was leaning in the right direction would it be a short cut ? Or ultimately just complicate the process:)