Saving Alpine Strains

[mriko]

Greetings everyone !

For generations is has been customary in the Alps to feed the cows with cannabis. Sadly ans stoopidly, it has been made illegal few years ago in Switzerland, and more recently in Liechtenstein. I don't konw about Italy and Austria, but I suppose that this custom was also in use in the mountain areas of those countries.

As far as I know, datas about those "cow-strains" are close to zero and I think it's a sad thing as most probably some very interesting genetics are gonna get lost for sure.

I remember reading somewhere that Purpurea Ticinensis was originally obtained in the Swiss Alps from two old sisters who were growing it in front of their house for "decorative purpose", so I'm supposing (maybe wrongly) it's a real local strain.

Is this strain still available in its pure form ? I've recently seen crosses around here, but not the pure one ? Did anyone preserved it ?

ANd what about other ones ? Is there someone living in the Alps and having datas and why not some access to genetics, through some local cow breeders who might have kept some seed stock ? ANy information would be greatly appreciated and far invaluable for the canna-munity. A whole part of the European canna-customs is under big threat of disappearing, without even being noticed. SOmething must be done !

Alpine growers, you have a mission !

Irie !

 

[guest3854]

Mriko , much respect ... Check out Esbe's offering through HTC . I know he does PT crosses , though not sure if he breeds a pure line ....


Steele

 

[titoon29]

Hi MrHiko

IMO there are some people in the alps which still have their seeds from the pure form of some strains like Purpurea Ticinensis, or Alpine Rocket, or Erdbeer..

You could get some Afghani X Purpurea Ticinensis on Cannabis helvetica, or their Fraise AKA Erdbeer, which is not the original cross, but not far from it. The f1 seeds are nio longer available.
The Strawberry cough clone is supposed to be an eerdbeer cross too, as long as strawberry haze from greenhouse.

You also have Basic Seeds, on Sannie Seeds shop, which sale the Ierdbei F3, which is erdbeer, and also some crosses with swiss genes.

Never smoked any swiss products, but the erdbeer was and is grown by a lot of people .

++

 

[levant]

Hi Mriko,
Cow-strains eh? I'm sure swiss has some very nice traditional strains,
but sorry I haven't heard of much...
I have the P.T in numerous crosses from esben,
I'd get in contact with him about the pure line.

 

[Lancet-Percy]

Felix and Owl's Productions are still around. As stated above, I believe that Esbe has some experience with the PT. I think that he stated the new PT is different from the old.

 

[GCG]

Valchanvre seeds

Alp King:
Acclimatized to the Swiss Alps conditions in 1996, Alp King is a Afghani x Skunk hybrid. Late harvest, medium size buds, very strong smell, a variety worth a try.

Red Valais:
Red Valais has been selected for its remarkable ornamental qualities. This variety does well under Swiss Alps conditions and shows blue and purple hues at harvest. Faint lavender smell. Potency and resin production similar to Walliser Queen. Early flowering. Also suited for indoor cultivation.

Walliser Queen:
Won the "Canna Swiss Cup" in 1998.
Walliser Queen has a unique aroma and smell. Early flowering, this variety is also suited for essential oils production. Lots of resin. Big buds with high calyx to leaf ratio. Outdoors or indoors.


seeds shop
bankswissseeds
tussemillas

 

[mriko]

Hey greetings everyone and thanks for the replies !

Hmmm, actualy I think I didn't express myself correctly. I should have used the word "landrace" instead of "strains". Damn, coming from me it's a shame ! Or is most probably a consequence of a seriously low level of THC in my body, must be that !

Whatever, yeah, that's about true Alpine landrace I'm enquiring here. There must have been some farmers who've grown their own family strain to feed their cows and cattle, well, I'm supposing and hoping so. Of course there's the possibility that they were using industrial strains, but as a matter of fact they use the plant as fodder and as a ligt tranquilizer, cows are more relaxed and produce better milk.

Those "Mountain Cattle" landraces must have escaped the industrial selection which have led to near 0% thc strains, and have retained good genes.
Herewe have a customary use of the cannabis plant which have been put to and end (or maybe some ol'gran'pa still feeding "Ilda" with his good homegrown strain, eh ?) and a population of and diversity of phenotype which is the result of maybe some long time of use and selection. Hey, if it can get a cow mellowed, there must be something to do out of it.
ANd it's under real threat to be simply wiped out unnoticed, except by the cows and meat cattle. Not in a far away war-thorn country, but right in the middle of Europe !

Can't find anything else than this and that
articles and many other similars about the same crackdown on fodder.

There's a deep void to be filled !

Irie !

 

[ngakpa]

Mriko pm me you hairy lunatic - come on man, cooperation is everything!

 

[monkey5]

Mriko, i think i read that paradise seeds the ROX was from swiss stock...maybe it is a cross... maybe a landrace ....not to sure but might want to talk to the folks at paradise seeds .. rox is said to taste strawberry too !!! monkey5

 

[IqTyq]

Purpurea Ticinensis thread here : http://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=82275&highlight=purpurea Oh boys, i love this strain sooo much,Thank You Felix.

 

[stinkyattic]

That looks similar in color and structure to a plant shown in the Greg Green Breeders Bible labelled only as a 'European black cannabis plant'. I've always wondered what it was. Thanks for the clue!

 

[Thule]

That looks similar in color and structure to a plant shown in the Greg Green Breeders Bible labelled only as a 'European black cannabis plant'. I've always wondered what it was. Thanks for the clue!

Possibly from the same genepool as leb27 which i hear has it's roots in Greece? Looks some what same and turns almost black.

 

[Bluebeard]

Do you know if the Alpine herders would use the seed as a feed source or simply allow the crop to grow as a source of grazing material? I have read a few outstanding reports of hemp seed as an excellent source of bovine feed, but without any personal knowledge of how exactly it is being fed to the cattle, I would believe it to be more likely to be used in a similar manner as kudzu being grown for goats. A manner in which farmers would be taking advantage of cannabis' invasive properties, such as the ability to grow fast and dense, while thoroughly reseeding itself and spreading very quickly, where the cattle would be nourishing themselves on live plants growing in a portion of the pasture that had perhaps been left ungrazed upon during a portion of the season.

If this is the case, I'm not saying it is, but if it is, then maintenance of a grazing crop of this sort with such extreme invasive qualities requires little to no conscious effort, and if anything would require a direct and costly concerted effort to cease the growth and spread of cannabis in the regions you mentioned.

Like you, I have just as much concern for conservation of traits which occur in populations with no recreational value, as those which occur in drug populations. Also, I do recognize how old some of the european populations are, and that such time periods often give rise to unique traits in plant species. However, I feel in this particular region, a closer look should be taken before declaring the feral populations under threat. I'm also quite skeptical that the origins of the PT strain are purely european landrace. It quite possibly possesses some european landrace in its background, but it seems nearly impossible that there would be a pure european landrace that would just appear as a recreational variety having never been bred for drug traits, with very good male selection over many generations. I'm not calling Felix's credibility into question, I think that perhaps either the strain was a hybrid and that a mention of a portion of the genetic background was accepted as the full genetic background, and the landrace was used to enhance its ability for outdoor growing in northern europe, or maybe it was a foreign landrace that the two sisters had obtained from a nearby botanical garden.