Hi all I've seen a couple of threads on ICMag and other forums where some people have no qualms with using 'feminized' seeds within a breeding program and yet in other threads people seem to be highly against it.

-Are there any of you out there that have used feminized seeds in a breeding/pollen chucking program successfully?

-If so how did the progeny turn out?

-Did you encounter any problems through it's lifespan?

-What feminized strains did you use?

-Did you use Fem x Fem or did you use Fem x Regular?

Here's what Ed Rosenthal wrote back in 2004 on the topic:

Breeding feminized plants
By Ed Rosenthal - Tuesday, October 19 2004
ASK ED
What happens when feminized plants get polinated?
What would happen if a feminized plant was fertilized by a male plant or if a feminized plant fertilized itself with female pollen?
Troy,
DB

A feminized plant is a plant grown from a seed resulting from pollen from a female plant. There are several ways to induce a female plant to produce male flowers. The pollen has only female genetics. All the seeds are "feminized".

A plant grown from feminized seed fertilized by a male will produce both male and female plants. If the feminized plant was induced to produce male flowers and then pollinated itself or another plant the pollen would contain only female genetics so the seeds would be feminized.

One problem that may occur over generations of feminizing plants is that you may be inadvertently selecting for hermaphroditism. When plants are induced to produce male flowers, the ones that are most likely to respond to the process, whether chemical, hormonal, light or age techniques are used, are the plants with the most tendency to hermaphroditism. Each time you use a feminizing technique you are inadvertently selecting for hermaphroditism. Each generation increases the chances of producing hermaphrodite plants.

Feminizing is best used to produce the final generation of plants, those that are to be planted for bud. These can also be used as part of an elaborate breeding strategy using both feminized and non-feminized plants.

It would be interesting to hear some fresh views on this subject.

Peace.

[DocLeaf]

Forget Ed Rosenthal,, that would be our first advice/comment,, ppl like them lead many a grower down the wrong garden path... the only way to really know is to do it ya self!

It's possible to make feminized plants make seed,, seeds that grow into ganja plants,,



Painted Lady = Critical (fem.) x W.Widow x Free Tibet (reg.),, (topped)

,, here's a different one,, (untopped)




We are currently testing progeny to see if feminized stock is viable for breeding,, exactly the question you asked here (good question) ,, so watch this space ,, we plan to answer it

Overall,, forget about females,, it's the male plants that hold the future of cannabis genetics in their endosperm!

Hope this helps

just some input for the thread.

1999 I bought 4 strains from CBCB ( medical store )

All but one was feminized.

The one was a known Hermaphrodite.

Crossing the three feminized strains with that one hermaphrodite resulted in two strains that didn't show signs of male flowers and all offspring were female ( 6 years worth )

One strain did show hermaphrodite traits and was not grown again.

Later the selfed seeds from the original hermaphrodite were grown ( S1's) and also the F1's made in the Hermaphrodite crossed with the two Feminized were grown together and seeds were made. ( S1 X F1 )

Those ( S1 X F1 ) seeds were grown this last grow and all 5 were completely Male.


It's what i have seen.. More pieces of the puzzle.


Ernst

Edit.. Would those "male" plants emit female pollen? I should test that huh.... I could save those "Feminized" genetics.

[DocLeaf]

To add... we've never seen a feminized clone (cutting from feminized seed stock) over 5 years old,, if anyone has a photo out there,, then please throw it up!

Even if it's a clone of a clone,, or clone of a clone of a clone that's feminized,, we've NEVER seen one!

Overall,, stay away from feminized stock unless you only plan to grow it and smoke it (like we would cucumbers,, or any other fem. seeds),, then they are fine.

Otherwise these seeds are NOT ideal for as breeding stock,, in standard practise,, (we are experimenting here,, and sure wouldn't encourage other ppl to cross fem. seeds into regular seed lines for the fun of it!)... just like we wouldnt auto-flowerring stock! its a non-brainer!

,, stick to normal / regular seeds for breeding with IMO... it's better in the long run for every grower that grows those seeds in the future,, far fewer complications

Peace n love

Originally Posted by DocLeaf

To add... we've never seen a feminized clone (cutting from feminized seed stock) over 5 years old,, if anyone has a photo out there,, then please throw it up!

Even if it's a clone of a clone,, or clone of a clone of a clone that's feminized,, we've NEVER seen one!

Overall,, stay away from feminized stock unless you only plan to grow it and smoke it (like we would cucumbers,, or any other fem. seeds),, then they are fine.

Otherwise these seeds are NOT ideal for as breeding stock,, in standard practise,, (we are experimenting here,, and sure wouldn't encourage other ppl to cross fem. seeds into regular seed lines for the fun of it!)... just like we wouldnt auto-flowerring stock! its a non-brainer!

,, stick to normal / regular seeds for breeding with IMO... it's better in the long run for every grower that grows those seeds in the future,, far fewer complications

Peace n love

I've never considered the "shelf-life" of a feminized strain in cutting form. What happens to the strains after 5 years? We grow a White Widow from a pack of feminized seeds that we really like, it's only been around two years so I guess we'll get to see how long it lasts.

We crossed this White Widow to a very sativa PPP pheno, our plan was to never work with them because the White Widow came from feminized stock but I'm realizing now we've already given some of them away. Reading this thread makes me want to do some work with them and see what could happen as a result of the feminized female.

Originally Posted by blazesck

I've never considered the "shelf-life" of a feminized strain in cutting form. What happens to the strains after 5 years? We grow a White Widow from a pack of feminized seeds that we really like, it's only been around two years so I guess we'll get to see how long it lasts.

We crossed this White Widow to a very sativa PPP pheno, our plan was to never work with them because the White Widow came from feminized stock but I'm realizing now we've already given some of them away. Reading this thread makes me want to do some work with them and see what could happen as a result of the feminized female.

Yeah that is interesting.

I would think the production grower would change stock as the taste/demand of customers changes. It would be the profit motive.

So are we thinking that a cutting goes bad in just 5 clonings or 50 months?

I do have to say that a breeding program would include both male and female sexes and many plants grown out over time.

I'm not sure of the value in crafting folk lore on feminized seeds.

Where I am at in my thinking is there is much more to learn.

[TopShelf]

Just growing a feminized plant and using as a clone mother is ok isn't it?

[Ricow]

works for me

[*HazeLover*]

Originally Posted by REDEYE_420

-Are there any of you out there that have used feminized seeds in a breeding/pollen chucking program successfully?

- yep, more than once I used feminised seeds for "breeding"

Originally Posted by REDEYE_420

-If so how did the progeny turn out?

- an example:

Originally Posted by REDEYE_420

-Did you encounter any problems through it's lifespan?

-not til now (took cuttings of all of them, no problems til now)

Originally Posted by REDEYE_420

-What feminized strains did you use?

-I used mainly GSC femmed beans (SSH, LemonSkunk and Alaskan Ice) as regular onces I used MilkyWay as males (KiwiSeeds)

Originally Posted by REDEYE_420

-Did you use Fem x Fem or did you use Fem x Regular?

-I did Reg x Fem (Mt cook x ssh)
- Fem x Reg (Alaskan Ice x Milky Way)
- Fem x Fem (Lemonskunk x SSH)
- selfed Feminised SSH

had no hermies so far (Alaskan Ice x Milky Way is still in testing, aswell as SSH F2 but it looks quiet promising) and no problems what so ever, for pics watch my thread in the greenhouse seeds section or album.

Peace&Love

Hazelover

I don't know of any real issues with using feminized plants in breeding. Is there any scientific works to draw on?

We should question. Sure we can create a marketable quality for the seed product and I can see how certified seeds should fetch a great price; that's a no-brainer.
However what is the truth on a genetic that has had a feminized process used to produce seeds? By saying "Don't do it" are we actually helping folks to learn horticulture or is this a business concept?

.. I'm stuck home so I have time to post...