# Inbreeding



## Vegs (Jan 24, 2009)

I was wondering how long you can inbreed till you can no longer produce seed with stable offspring.

Let's say you picked up some good seed and you wanted to keep that strain for as long as you can. Producing seed from females & males with desirable traits every 4-5 years to keep it going (working under the impression that seeds only last for 5 years). Is there an average period of time or a number of cycles in which you inbreed that the genes start to break down?


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## 420thestoner (Jan 24, 2009)

im preatty sure as long as you breeding good females with good males then forever. if thats not correct someone correct me.


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## BuddyLuv (Jan 25, 2009)

420thestoner said:
			
		

> im preatty sure as long as you breeding good females with good males then forever. if thats not correct someone correct me.


 
You are correct but you need to be very selective in your process. Always discard weak genetics and only keep crosing the deisred traits for your specific needs.


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## Hick (Jan 25, 2009)

vegs.. IMO, it would likely depend on the dominance, strength of the genetics to begin with..
... but "yes" over several generation, you will see what is called "inbreeding depression". A result of too many matings of closely related individuals. It increases the chances for undesirable recessive traits from both parents to be copied and passed on to future generations. 
hXXp://www.nwfsc.noaa.gov/publications/techmemos/tm30/lynch.html

You might/probably also see a reduction of vigor in subsequent generations. 

On an opposing note, "hybrid" vigor.. are the results of F1 crosses to "unrelated" individuals. And people passing them off with a "name".. like it is really a strain, rather than the first generation mating, which will prove unstable in following generations. F1 crosses will often "appear" somewhat stable, and will usually express "hybrid" vigor. Leading the uninformed with the 'impression' that they have produced or procured something possibly exceptional. When in fact.. it is nothing more than F1, hybrid vigor..


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## Vegs (Jan 25, 2009)

Thank you all!


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## Anarchist_UK (Feb 18, 2009)

I couldn't give you an estimate on how long it would take, but it would be a problem after a few years, as breeding the same filial generation favours the production of homozygotic plants, making them weaker, and more vunerable to genetic and atmospheric dangers.


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