Is Genetic Drift a Fact or Fiction?

simple answer yes

 

Genetic drift only happens in generations of seeds. People talk about it in clones but they are mistaken. Clones can have phenotypical variation based on its environment, epigentics getting flipped on and off. But the genes never change. They don’t drift. Changes you see in clones are always based on environmental factors or diseases. Not saying you have a disease but a lot of growers who ended up with things like hops latent before we knew what it was, blamed the change in their strains on genetic drift. I’m a breeder and studied plant genetics in college.

 

So to be clear your saying . You can clone from a clone over and over . Drifting further and further from the original seed and not see any changes ? I just want to be crystal clear on your answer . My answer is yes it does change . I get bigger yields from seeds vs clones . And we plant the seed and cut clones from the seed plant. Never flower that mother plant .

 

I’m going with strain dependent on this one.
I’ve got clones strains that came to me as clones and have been run countless times under all conditions with no negative effects. They actually have been increasing in test results as I dial in environments for each one.
However, I’ve also witnessed other that were starts from seed that completely changed their growth characteristics as well as potency and terp levels over the course of a year or two. Of these, I’ve noticed that feminized seeds and crazy poly hybrids seem to “ drift “ the most. Maybe that’s a bonus to Landrace cultivars!

 

I’m saying that if you see changes it’s not genetic drift. You are seeing the plants epigentic expression change as it adapts to your grow environment. Or as it gets farther from its original grow environment. That’s a different phenomenon that genetic drift. If you look at traditional agriculture, nobody would ever attribute genetic drift to clone only species. Technically speaking, it’s only something that happens in generation of seeds.

 

Agreed, maybe that’s why I see those changes in my female and polys. I’m growing in organic living soil and I use Bodhi genetics almost exclusively. Why? Because he does all of his breeding with true organic living soil as well. It’s clear that his genetics out perform most of the others I get tempted to bring onboard.
Good points mama!

 

Take a look at the actual scientific definition of genetic drift. It’s literally not possible in clones. It’s defined as the loss of genes over generation or the prevalence of rare genes over generations. The only way that happens is through sexual propagation.

 

Thank you. I love the connection you made. I definitely think it helps to get seeds from breeders who use similar grow styles.

 

I’ve read that clones can be degraded over time due to cloning sick or unhealthy plants.
Admittedly, I have done this many times. I have a couple of keepers that I’ve had for over 7 years, and on occasion have had to take cuts off of horribly unhealthy mothers as a last resort of preservation. Years later, as I get better at dialing in the environments, they are breaking potency and terpene test records.
Watching them express themselves differently through the years has been interesting to watch.

 

Genetic drift is a myth. If clones get worse it's usually because of some other factor like a disease or illness that you don't notice, or the conditions not being optimized like a previous grow.

Here's a much better explanation than I could ever give:
What is Genetic Drift and How Does it Apply to Cloning and Micro-propagation?