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breeding Can you uncross a pepper?

G

Gallon

I have grown some "Jamaican red hot peppers" from store bought seed (one packet) and noticed that the pod shape varies. Some are round and spherical and some are slightly longer and have a slight point. Over the last two or three years I have kept seeds from the different shaped pods and this past year noticed different plants had different shaped pods. So I was thinking that maybe the original seeds were from a cross, of a round pod and a pointy pod. If I keep taking seed from the pointy pods on the pointy plants will I end up with the original pointy pepper.

In other words, if you start with a Jalabenero and keep selecting the most Jalapeno-ish pods for your seed stock...will you get back to a Jalapeno?

Any ideas or experience?
 
I think I read it does eventuall revert back to one of the possible many other plants it crossed with,not neccesarily the scotch bonnet.
Basically it's supposed to go back to whatever was stable that had the strongest genes in your cross.
Which means you could ened up with a stable hybrid at some point or anything it crossed with.
I don't think there is any way to tell outside of a laboratory.
Also I don't remember where I read it as to if it was from a reliable source...

So I think the answer is a deffinate maybe.
 
Sorta...

Many genetic markers are represented by physical characteristics...the outward appearance is called the phenotype (p-type). If a pod displays 2 distinct p-types, then there are (for the sake of simplicity) 2 variations of the same gene that you can get. Let's say Round is dominant, and pointy is recessive (I'm making that up). Each trait is coded for with a gene from mommy and daddy.

Since your first generation (after the parent plant seeds you bought) had 2 p-types, we can assume mommy and daddy were both heterozygous...meaning they both have a gene for each version of the trait...which would mean the parent plants' actual genes (genotype) would have been Rr...so they carried the pointy gene, but it is masked by the dominant R. From this, they will statistically have 75% dominant p-type...and 25% recessive p-type; the pointy one.

So, theoretically, you can separate the offspring by phenotype, and yes, you will have 2 genetically different "varieties".
 
A jalabanero is going to always have annuum and chinenses in them but you can still choose plants with most desirable characteristics and probably end up with something similar to a jalapeno, or you can back-cross it with a jalapeno to give it more jalapeno genes and traits
 
POTAWIE said:
A jalabanero is going to always have annuum and chinenses in them but you can still choose plants with most desirable characteristics and probably end up with something similar to a jalapeno, or you can back-cross it with a jalapeno to give it more jalapeno genes and traits
Click to expand...

Right...that's what I said... ;) :P
 
Wouldn't it be easier and much quicker to go buy another packet of seeds? Trying to get a pepper to go back to it's original species could take generations of plants and it may never actually get there.
 
A lot the crosses I have seen are crosses of 2 somewhat common or easy to find peppers. Why would you intentionally want to spend seasons as patrick said to get to a seed you can buy for pennies? I assume you are curious as to what is happening? I personally have been intentionally crossing several things the last 2 years and it took that long to get the pepper I desired. Genes are a .....nevermind, but you understand or will after a season or two. I still have 2 more seasons of isolation and prayers and more prayers to see if it stabilizes the way they came this year. After going through crossing and watching things not stabilize I don't think I would ever try to uncross unless it was to get to another desirable outcome that was not easily obtained. But I have to say it is hellish fun, and the joy when something takes the way you want it is wonderful.
 
Smokemaster: "So I think the answer is a deffinate maybe." Great answer....a true classic.

Lunchbox: Thanks for the botanist/bio perspective. Gotta love science. Not sure I understood all of the lingo but thanks for the intro lesson.

Potawie: I totally get what you are saying. Have you ever crossed, stabilized and then back-crossed something? Sounds like quite the stunt.

Patrick and Justaguy: I am not trying to uncross anything. But I am afraid that the seeds were crosses and by trying/hoping to develop a new variety I am actually going back to one of the originals. In an attempt to develop a variety that can grow in the short mountain growing season I have been taking seed from the first pod of the season. So it just occurred to me that the seeds may be from scotch bonnet crossed with a shorter growing season plant, and I am unintentionally weeding out the scotch bonnet and may end up with the other.
 
In that case I would think the pepper that is hot and short season would be the goal and then work on crossing that with the one you desire.

On that note I am wondering if I can run an indoor timer set short season to get seeds to grow out. I don't know how recommended it is or not, but it would be nice to really cut down the season needed to get seed for next generation. Time to google.

Keep us updated on the progress.
+1
 
I believe Bosland grew his Bhuts for 5 generations to get his cultivar plant. So I imagine in 5 seasons if you self pollinate the plant and keep the younuns separate you will have some pure strains of something.
 
In short...... YES BUT NO.... :lol:

Just had to through it in.

If by some chance you continued to select the recessive gene then yes. But the odds.... No. A cross is usally done to improve/change things, so if'n you chose to continue to select the traits a particular species then, yes, i guess you could "uncross" a new species..... But WHY???
 
hot stuff said:
I believe Bosland grew his Bhuts for 5 generations to get his cultivar plant. So I imagine in 5 seasons if you self pollinate the plant and keep the younuns separate you will have some pure strains of something.
Click to expand...

The bhuts were already stable and true breeding. Bosland grew them for several years for seed collection and then for large trials and tests
 
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