this is a copy n paste Real plant breeders create brand new varieties that are:
1 .homogeneus
2. distinctive
3. recognizable by its characteristics
4. recognizably different from any other existing variety
5. remain unchanged through the process of propagation (offspring has the same quality of parent plants).
Under the 1991 Act of the UPOV Convention, if a plant variety grouping does not meet these criteria, it should not considered to be a variety. After understanding that, the Convention also defines a breeder as:
"the person who bred, or discovered and developed, a variety".
As for legit cannabis strain breeders I will only include those that created brand new strains with original landrace/heirloom material or meeting the criteria above for new varieties like Sam Skunkman, DJ Short, Charlie Garcia (CBG), Tom Hill, Mario (Delicatessen) and probably a bunch of others I don't really remember or even know in the underground scene. But that's the point, they grow landraces or heirloom strains, they study them, they think which one could match with each other and be 1+1=3, they use their big experience to follow a path, fix the long term goals, cull in consequence and that's it, results can be seen after years of work.
Then we have people like Nevil, Breeder Steve, Grimm Bros, Eddie Redeeker (TFD), Simon Serious or all the new school guys for example like Bodhi, Subcool, Moonshine, Karma and all those talented guys outcrossing other existing hybrids, heirlooms or elite plants bred by other people before and giving them a twist, improving or combining them in order to create slightly different hybrids based off those, sometimes with character, sometimes not.
Finally we can't forget about all the oportunists and bussiness men bunch like Shantibaba, Arjan, Ben Dronkers, Dinafem,DNA, Barney's or all the US and Europe guys chucking on Chem, GG#4, GSC and all the trendy elites and cup winners nowadays. Let's get real, they are just looking for the quick buck and easy props but within a few years, no one will remember anything about them and their strains. They aren't doing anything even close to breeding but taking advantage on other's peoples works and hiring third parties to produce their seeds. You can see how each year they need to release new strains and invest a lot in marketing to prevail, guess why? Because it's the only way they have to keep attracting customers.
For me there another thing I consider certainly important in cannabis breeding: the breeder's taste and signature. Most strains from a breeder should have a certain distinctive character, be it the structure, the flowering times, the smell, the effect and so on. It's the breeder's signature that makes every single strain to be part of a bigger group of recognizable strains bred under the same criteria and style. Grow strains from DJ Short and all of them have certain similarities that are totally DJ's indeed, be the type of high, the colors... that's what made him famous actually and how he developed a timeless signature in cannabis breeding!
But crossing Chem with GSC or any other trendy elite from the past season... damn, how the fuck can you even call that your own breeding work if it's 100% based off other people's work and criteria? What's actually your real contribution to the work? Absolutely none, just some pollen tossing that even a kid could do. Problem is that most growers don't even take the time to educate themselves on history or botany basics and because of this, everyone wants to make money off them!