Using male or female auto for breeding?

[Ethan Zachary]

Hi

This has been discussed before but let's put our 2016-knowledge together now shall we

When out crossing and creating new autoflower varieties most people use an auto male to pollinize a photo plant, this creates more seeds but are there any other benefits? Any experiences? Would it work just as well with the female being the source of the auto gene?

 

[mr.brunch]

I expect the female photo plant is used as it can be tested/cloned before using... whereas you can't do that with a female auto. Apparently autos don't show up in the first gen cross anyway, so I suppose you can do it either way round on the f2.. as you wouldn't know which one is carrying the auto gene.

Not a breeder myself though !

 

[bf80255]

auto males are easier to stick in a box with a cfl and water occassionally while you grow a big female for bud and only need a branch for a few hundred seeds. just my preference, either way it doesnt really matter, its more about the individual plant and what it tends to throw IMO

 

[aridbud]

Males are important in breeding autoflowering strains, as their growth pattern traits can be passed down while the flavor and potency profile of the female can be retained.

A male plant that grows too tall or too fast is usually eliminated. The reason for this is that most plants which dedicate so much energy to fiber production generally are best for making fiber.

Consider the type of floral clusters that develop. Even on males, clusters which are tight, compact and yet very productive are desired over an airy, loose structure.

Perhaps most important characteristic to examine is that of odor, flavor and trichome development.

It has been my experience that the females primarily contribute the type of flavor and aroma and the males contribute the amount of flavor and odor.

 

[mr.brunch]

Plus when you are pollinating that female, you know it's a good female as you will have already grown n smoked it. By the time you've smoked the female auto, it's too late to pollinate!

 

[aridbud]

Quite true, mr.brunch.

 

[Ethan Zachary]

Thanks for all input

My main concern is passing on of the autoflower gene. Do you reckon it bears no significance whether it was the male or the female that was the "donor"? A gut feeling always told me using autoflowers as male was better, but I might have just picked that up on the forums. Maybe no one ever tries it the other way around because of the facts listed above?

 

[teide]

Pot size and epigenetics

Pot size and epigenetics

So which way did you end up going?

 

[The_Skunkist]

Plus when you are pollinating that female, you know it's a good female as you will have already grown n smoked it. By the time you've smoked the female auto, it's too late to pollinate!

That's why I've said by the past for autos : " breeding as a good habit ." ( even 10/20 seeds )
I keep the nice ones and give the bad ones litterally to my birds .

When you cross a plant A with a plant B . ( without the special case of homogenous f1 ) You generally experiment to get phenotype A phenotype B and phenotype AxB + variations .
You can see that on humans family too .
But shape of the mothers and father's character is very common gene mixes .

While F2 is "genes in the cross museum " .

When you want to do a new auto you use : Photo female x auto male ( or reversed ) .

When you want to remove auto genes (like fast versions) you use : Auto female x Photo male ( or reversed )

And if you want stability , you stabilise parents , incrossing them for desired traits before crossing them together .

If you try Russian Rocket Fuel from shortstuff seedbank .
You will se that the diesel side from the diesel ryder father totally dominated the cross taste.
And can also dominate in other crosses .

When I choose a male I like the ones I was thinking they were female untill the first balls show .

Concerning pot size ... How to select them rightly with imposed pot size that is limitating the full development ?

 

[yahooman]

I'm not a breeder by any means,but I have crossed tons of strains...for the most part I have found that the mother usually passes on potency and the male more smell and taste....in general..lol