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ineffable420
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Here's a thread i'll put here, sorry if it's already covered but may help some:
Choose breeding parents.
Selecting female plants for breeding is a much easier task than selecting males, because female plants demonstrate all the traits that are essentially important to a grower, or smoker. The breeder may want to place an emphasis on selecting for potency, flavor, smell, color, yield, growth stature, resistance to pests, et cetera. Cannabis for consumption is a group of pistilate flowers that have grown close together over and over many times to form a bud (a Cola is a group of buds). All you have to do is watch these flowers develop over the life cycle - harvest - smoke a bud sample from each plant - and determine the positive and negative characters of each plant for it's growth as well as its' smoking characteristics. Post-harvest evaluation allows additional inspection of aromas and flavors of the cured and matured bud.
Choosing male plants with desirable characteristics is not so easy. Males obviously don't produce female flowers; thus judging any characteristic is more of an inferential task; males just don't demonstrate these characters. Some breeders feel a good method for choosing a potential male is to rub the stem with your finger. The idea is if it exudes a pungent, resinous odor, it may be a good plant. This is really only a crude measure of the odor and shouldn't be the major selection criteria.
The best method for determining a male as a breeding parent is the progeny test. Progeny testing is achieved by taking pollen from a potential breeding male and using it to make seeds with the chosen female(s). The resulting seed population is grown out and examined to determine the effect of the male on the progeny. Progeny tests are without a doubt the most reliable method for determining the genetic value of the chosen male. One drawback to the progeny test is that it takes time to grow and evaluate. Only the best performing males are used for the next generation.
Collecting Pollen
One branch of male flowers will supply all the pollen necessary for small-scale breeders to produce ample seeds.
First, strip away other branches to guard against accidental random pollination, isolate the male as soon as anthers show. Be considerate of the fact that airborne pollen can travel miles. If you brush up against a plant on accident, pollen will become airborne and travel throughout the area instantly.
Just prior to the anther's opening, place a clean paper or plastic bag over the branch.
Secure the bag at the bottom with a piece of string or a wire tie to prevent pollen from escaping.
Keep the bag over the branch for several days.
You can break off the branch inside the bag and take it outside before you take it out of the bag.
When enough pollen seems to have been collected, tap the branch and shake the remaining pollen off into the bag.
Carefully remove spent branch and bag so the pollen does not escape.
Store and Protect the Pollen
Pollen does not have a long shelf life under natural conditions; it is easily destroyed by high temperatures and moisture. Pollen can however, be stored in the freezer for several months.
This is accomplished by carefully removing the pollen from the collection bag and passing it through a screen.
This removes any leaf matter from the anthers that may have fallen into the bag and contaminated the pollen, causing it to spoil.
Place wax paper under the screen to catch the pollen.
Then use a sterile scraper and place in a small coin envelope or sterile test tube or petri dish, and place in the freezer.
Cleanliness counts!
Pollen should not be repeatedly frozen and thawed, which will decrease its' viability. Take the pollen needed from within the freezer and leave the rest inside if you must.
Pollination
Pollination occurs when pollen comes in contact with the pistil. Depending on variety, fresh pistils are ready to pollinate from two to twelve weeks after flowering is induced. The more pistils on the bud at the time of pollination, the more seeds there will be. Fertile pistils appear turgid and most often are white or off-white. Pistils that are withered, rust- or brown-colored are past the point for successful pollination.
To pollinate, which is like collecting the pollen, cover the female branch with the pollen filled bag, and briefly shake the bag to ensure the pollen to make sure the pollen comes in contact with as many pistils as possible.
Leave the bag for 2 days and nights to ensure pollination.
Be careful not to scatter pollen when removing the bag.
If other plants are in the garden and are not intended for pollination, you can move target plants from the main area into a separate smaller place for pollination; a pollination chamber. After a couple days in the pollen chamber with the males, the female plants are thoroughly sprayed with water to destroy any remaining pollen (do this when the lights go on so water can evaporate), before they are moved back into the main area. Make sure to clean your pollination chamber after each use.
An alternate approach is to use a small paint brush.
Gently dip the brush in the pollen, and carefully brush the pollen onto the pistils.
Have a steady hand or risk airborne pollen.
This technique is perfect if the cultivator only needs a few seeds.
http://i83.invalid.com/albums/j320/ineffable420/pollinationchart.jpg
After fertilization, most seeds will be fully ripe in about 6 weeks, although some may be viable earlier. As the seed matures the calyx becomes split open so the breeder can then view the development. Seeds are ripe when they are mostly dark brown or grey, well mottled (tiger-striped), and sitting loosely in the calyx. Dry out seeds post harvest to increase germination rates and place in the refrigerator one or two months before sprouting, because germination rates are low immediately after harvest.
You will also need a seed storage technique to ensure your lineage. I use Basmati rice so freezing isn't necessary.
Choose breeding parents.
Selecting female plants for breeding is a much easier task than selecting males, because female plants demonstrate all the traits that are essentially important to a grower, or smoker. The breeder may want to place an emphasis on selecting for potency, flavor, smell, color, yield, growth stature, resistance to pests, et cetera. Cannabis for consumption is a group of pistilate flowers that have grown close together over and over many times to form a bud (a Cola is a group of buds). All you have to do is watch these flowers develop over the life cycle - harvest - smoke a bud sample from each plant - and determine the positive and negative characters of each plant for it's growth as well as its' smoking characteristics. Post-harvest evaluation allows additional inspection of aromas and flavors of the cured and matured bud.
Choosing male plants with desirable characteristics is not so easy. Males obviously don't produce female flowers; thus judging any characteristic is more of an inferential task; males just don't demonstrate these characters. Some breeders feel a good method for choosing a potential male is to rub the stem with your finger. The idea is if it exudes a pungent, resinous odor, it may be a good plant. This is really only a crude measure of the odor and shouldn't be the major selection criteria.
The best method for determining a male as a breeding parent is the progeny test. Progeny testing is achieved by taking pollen from a potential breeding male and using it to make seeds with the chosen female(s). The resulting seed population is grown out and examined to determine the effect of the male on the progeny. Progeny tests are without a doubt the most reliable method for determining the genetic value of the chosen male. One drawback to the progeny test is that it takes time to grow and evaluate. Only the best performing males are used for the next generation.
Collecting Pollen
One branch of male flowers will supply all the pollen necessary for small-scale breeders to produce ample seeds.
First, strip away other branches to guard against accidental random pollination, isolate the male as soon as anthers show. Be considerate of the fact that airborne pollen can travel miles. If you brush up against a plant on accident, pollen will become airborne and travel throughout the area instantly.
Just prior to the anther's opening, place a clean paper or plastic bag over the branch.
Secure the bag at the bottom with a piece of string or a wire tie to prevent pollen from escaping.
Keep the bag over the branch for several days.
You can break off the branch inside the bag and take it outside before you take it out of the bag.
When enough pollen seems to have been collected, tap the branch and shake the remaining pollen off into the bag.
Carefully remove spent branch and bag so the pollen does not escape.
Store and Protect the Pollen
Pollen does not have a long shelf life under natural conditions; it is easily destroyed by high temperatures and moisture. Pollen can however, be stored in the freezer for several months.
This is accomplished by carefully removing the pollen from the collection bag and passing it through a screen.
This removes any leaf matter from the anthers that may have fallen into the bag and contaminated the pollen, causing it to spoil.
Place wax paper under the screen to catch the pollen.
Then use a sterile scraper and place in a small coin envelope or sterile test tube or petri dish, and place in the freezer.
Cleanliness counts!
Pollen should not be repeatedly frozen and thawed, which will decrease its' viability. Take the pollen needed from within the freezer and leave the rest inside if you must.
Pollination
Pollination occurs when pollen comes in contact with the pistil. Depending on variety, fresh pistils are ready to pollinate from two to twelve weeks after flowering is induced. The more pistils on the bud at the time of pollination, the more seeds there will be. Fertile pistils appear turgid and most often are white or off-white. Pistils that are withered, rust- or brown-colored are past the point for successful pollination.
To pollinate, which is like collecting the pollen, cover the female branch with the pollen filled bag, and briefly shake the bag to ensure the pollen to make sure the pollen comes in contact with as many pistils as possible.
Leave the bag for 2 days and nights to ensure pollination.
Be careful not to scatter pollen when removing the bag.
If other plants are in the garden and are not intended for pollination, you can move target plants from the main area into a separate smaller place for pollination; a pollination chamber. After a couple days in the pollen chamber with the males, the female plants are thoroughly sprayed with water to destroy any remaining pollen (do this when the lights go on so water can evaporate), before they are moved back into the main area. Make sure to clean your pollination chamber after each use.
An alternate approach is to use a small paint brush.
Gently dip the brush in the pollen, and carefully brush the pollen onto the pistils.
Have a steady hand or risk airborne pollen.
This technique is perfect if the cultivator only needs a few seeds.
http://i83.invalid.com/albums/j320/ineffable420/pollinationchart.jpg
After fertilization, most seeds will be fully ripe in about 6 weeks, although some may be viable earlier. As the seed matures the calyx becomes split open so the breeder can then view the development. Seeds are ripe when they are mostly dark brown or grey, well mottled (tiger-striped), and sitting loosely in the calyx. Dry out seeds post harvest to increase germination rates and place in the refrigerator one or two months before sprouting, because germination rates are low immediately after harvest.
You will also need a seed storage technique to ensure your lineage. I use Basmati rice so freezing isn't necessary.
