NL variegation questions

Breeder's Lab
1

thought I’d share this neat variegation in this Northern Lights plant and maybe ask a few questions.

IMG_20250508_142221668
IMG_20250508_1422216681920×1440 83.6 KB

this isn’t from seed. it is a clone off of an established green-colored mom that was taken along with other clones, that stayed green.

my experiences with variegation are all from growing out seedlings. I’ve seen it show up in the NL2 and NL9 seed lines for sure, but I’ve never ever seen it suddenly pop up in a clone from a mother with a spotless history of making only green clones before. but maybe somebody else has?

below is a comparison with a normal green “sister” clone, which was cut, rooted and planted at the same time, same soil, same container size, same lighting, same everything.

IMG_20250511_130250236
IMG_20250511_1302502361920×1440 157 KB

you can also see that the green sister is using food faster and is a lighter shade of green and starting to discolor at the lower leaves, indicating a better photosynthesis process due to more chlorophyll. It’s neat to witness, i think.

I’m sure that this clone will probably eventually grow out of this.
either way, it really doesn’t matter much, i’m just curious as to why this clone didn’t stay green like her sisters.

I am fairly confident that this actually is variegation and not a form of mosaic like tmv or cmv, mainly bc they are rare and because some of the patterns are in clearly defined sections. that being said, I am not an expert on anything, let alone on MV, so i could be totally wrong. If anyone is knowledgeable of mosaic viruses, please chime in.

The variegation (if we all agree that’s what it is) only appeared after the clone was rooted, potted and had been vegging for a week or so. and it is still making variegated leaves.

  • is this a recessive gene or mutation that was somehow awakened in this clone, like something that I unknowingly caused?

  • could it be jumping genes, or is that ridiculous?

  • Why did the other clones stay green?

  • Has anyone else ever had this happen to a clone from a green mother plant?

thanks y’all, i appreciate y’alls thoughts :slight_smile:

18 Likes
2

That’s a new one on me as well.
Cool, I didn’t know a clone could do that… :+1:

Cheers
G

6 Likes
3

Living and learning I guess! Didn’t know that was possible as well!

4 Likes
4

I’ve never seen variegation on any NL myself. Also never seen it show up in a cutting like that. I would get rid of it and move on with the other ones

4 Likes
5

I think it is a punctual mutation which can happen when the DNA is reproduced/copied with errors. This can happen from time to time, it’s just natural. Punctual mutations are not very “stable”, that means it’s not a “trait” one can breed or select for. Punctual mutations are mostly expressed in a single individuum only. In most cases punctual mutations can’t be seen because they don’t express in phenotype, like in your case.

Correct me if i’m wrong, that’s what is left in my brain from my biology class 25 years ago…

ixi

8 Likes
6

So… I’m thinking… U made a clone of the mother plant… Okay it will have all the same genes… But u didn’t pick the clone of the exact same place or branch… Because it’s impossible… So I would propose that it’s some epigenetics variegation.
Cool as hell man.

4 Likes
7

punctual, huh? ok, i can dig it man… thanks for that!
man, plants can be crazy at times!

2 Likes
8

Well, it goes even deeper.

For any organism to grow the DNA of every single cell has to be reproduced/duplicated/copied during the process of cell division. One cell becomes 2, 2 become 4, 4 become 16, and so on.

In this process the DNA has to be copied/repoduced. If an error occurs, there are mechanisms to “repair” the error(s). But even these “repair-mechanisms” can fail, so the error is repoduced.

Take a blank sheet of paper and copy it. Then you make a copy from the copy, repeat a 1000 times. After 1000 copies from your copies you will see artifacts/errors.

Regards, ixi

7 Likes
9

Thanks for explaining what i tought… It’s that i’m triyng to tell when i speak “u didn’t pick the clone of the exact same place or branch” It’s not well speak way to tell that u canno’t have the exact same thing if there are 2 different things… Despite all of that replication machinery and regulator genes it will never work and develops in the exact same way…
PS: It’s meant to work or growth as the same way and it’s why the genes contain so much regulators genes… But the bio-machinery is always subjected to failures.

2 Likes
10

Everyone’s wrong here. Each clone has its own unique and individual soul. Reborn from an infinite supply of souls that perished in the pipes of wretched hop-heads down through the ages. The fact is, you’re all smoking someone’s soul folks.

(Next week: we discuss how onanism is actually mass murder)

2 Likes
11

the first photo reveals a thing…
Imagine if a flash painted… like a fraction of seconds light remained…
that is some groovy (or possible not) reaction to something… lol like a radioactive flash … the leaves are discolored as if yellow paint laid on from particular angle…
be stunned if any new growth other than green
thinkin that is evidence of something that happened…
gubbmint mind rays perhaps? put a lil foil hat on it n it’ll likely be dandy.

1 Like
12

Interesting one…

Before diving into buggy genetics and anomalies, id like to take a moment and inquire about possible situational explanations.

Would you happen to remember if that clone was closest to the edge of a tray? Or enclosure entry? (tent/room)

3 Likes
13

Telomere shortening in plants, particularly the erosion of the TTTAGGG repeat sequences at chromosome ends, can impair proper chromosome capping during mitotic events. This is especially relevant in annual plants, which typically complete their life cycle within 6–12 months and may experience accelerated telomere attrition under stress. Severe telomere dysfunction may contribute to genomic instability, potentially leading to abnormal cell proliferation akin to tumor-like growths, such as those induced by pathogens like Agrobacterium.

Damage to DNA replication or repair enzymes, such as DNA polymerases, may introduce errors during replication of euchromatic regions. In rare cases, loss of strand specificity could lead to transcription of the complementary DNA strand, producing aberrant precursor mRNA. If these errors persist through RNA processing, the mature mRNA translated by 80S ribosomes may yield altered proteins, potentially modifying the plant’s phenotype.

In variegated plants, transposable elements (TEs) significantly influence phenotypic diversity. Epigenetic changes, such as DNA demethylation, can activate dormant TEs or silence active ones, altering gene expression. Long terminal repeat (LTR) retrotransposons, for example, can integrate into genomic DNA via reverse transcription, disrupting or enhancing gene function and creating novel traits. Some retrotransposons share mechanistic similarities with retroviruses, hinting at evolutionary parallels, though direct viral involvement is not typically observed.

The RNA-induced silencing complex (RISC), which mediates gene silencing via small RNAs, may also be affected by TE activation or genomic stress. For instance, increased TE activity could alter small RNA pools, disrupting RISC-mediated regulation and leading to aberrant gene expression. These mechanisms represent only a subset of the complex processes influencing plant genome stability and phenotypic variation, with ongoing research likely to uncover additional pathways.

These are just my thoughts, and for those who know me, I’m not sure if I’m going overboard here! I don’t view plant genetic systems strictly in terms of dominant or recessive alleles. Through observation, you can see phenotypes shift as plants adapt to stressors over time. Fast or slow shit changes.

I wanted to understand the DOGMA and RISC how the miRNA and siRNA this led me to how the machine works.

2 Likes
14

i think this punctual concept is what we all used to call “genetic drift”.

1 Like
15

that’s a good question man.
um, i dont think so. i use 1.5" rockwool blocks, standard 10/20 tray with a clear plastic humidity dome, but it wasnt packed out; none of the cuttings were pressed all up against the inner sidewalls…

they were all green whilst rooting. all looked the normal, it was 1 strain in the 10/20 tray, so i didnt mark them. not exactly sure which one went haywire or it’s original position in the tray whilst rooting.
the variegation showed up in just the 1 clone, after they were all rooted and had been planted into solo cups.

1 Like
16

Mother plant is a chimera maybe?