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hybrid Breeding question

It depends on what color. You select a pepper of the color you want and cross it with one you want to be a different color. Red is dominant (brown seems to be dark red), so you should expect to see red show if you use a red pepper in the mix. Say you mixed red and yellow. Most of the offspring from the F1 plant will be red and only a few will be yellow and possibly another color. I don't know the percentage that would be yellow in this example. I think your odds of getting a yellow pepper are ok with 16 plants.

Assuming:
R = red color, R = dominant
r = yellow color, r = recessive

This will be true if the red parent is "Rr"

A yellow pepper would have the gene makeup of "rr". A red pepper would then have the genotype "RR" or "Rr". You would only see yellow in the F1 generation if crossing an Rr x Rr, Rr x rr, or rr x rr.

If one of the parents was RR, you would not see any yellow plants (outside of a random mutation) regardless of what you crossed it with. So, if the first generation seeds produce some yellow, then you know your parent plant is "dominant recessive".

Been a long time since I took a bio class... surprised I (sort of) remember this. I have no idea what is dominant or recessive in peppers, however (thereby the assumptions on top). I am also looking into mixing pepper genetics just for the fun of it - it seems fairly easy to do, and pretty interesting. I like growing 'mysteries' - as long as I have enough 'sure things' to tide me through the year.
 
That's true AzoreanRuister. I was being simple and speaking generally. Pepper color is rather tricky and I don't fully understand it. I've also taken biology. Pretty much every plant is not as simple as Mendel's peas, but that can be helpful. Wouldn't Rr x Rr give us red?


"So, if the first generation seeds produce some yellow, then you know your parent plant is "dominant recessive"."

Yeah, the F1 plant will give us helpful information about genes. There seem to be multiple genes at work for color and many other traits, which makes it difficult to understand what's going on.


New question.

If one of your plants is in bloom, but the other isn't quite there yet, what's the best way to preserve pollen?

You should wait until both are blooming to avoid giving yourself more work than necessary. It would be a real pain to store pollen. You have to let it dry and freeze it. The pollen goes sterile very quick.
 
One thing that most of us can't do after we've "made our Cross " Is to really grow a large enough number of plants to "See" what we truly did. Then select the best of what you got .. that held the traits you were aiming for .. And repeat that process until things stabilize .

Having said that I still like to play around. It's fun .....
 
One thing that most of us can't do after we've "made our Cross " Is to really grow a large enough number of plants to "See" what we truly did. Then select the best of what you got .. that held the traits you were aiming for .. And repeat that process until things stabilize .

Having said that I still like to play around. It's fun .....

Yeah, we are leaving a lot to randomness, but it sure is fun :) .
 
Something I forgot to mention. You're not "breeding" new peppers, you're cultivating them. Breeding is usually reserved for critters. Yes I am an ahole. But I'm cute.
 
Something I forgot to mention. You're not "breeding" new peppers, you're cultivating them. Breeding is usually reserved for critters. Yes I am an ahole. But I'm cute.


Breeding gets applied to plants as well. A lot of the books I read say "plant breeding."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plant_breeding
 
Something I forgot to mention. You're not "breeding" new peppers, you're cultivating them. Breeding is usually reserved for critters. Yes I am an ahole. But I'm cute.

Patrick take that up with the UC Davis' Plant Breeding Academy.

Cultivating plants is generally known as horticulture or agriculture, and while it sometimes includes plant breeding, typically the act of plant breeding is considered a distinct activity.
 
Just found this thread. Interesting, will follow. The aforementioned Rr x Rr would, in principle produce 25% yellow-podded offspring, assuming pod color is controlled by a single gene. I don't know that that is the case. It was once thought human brown/blue eye color was determined by this simple dominant/recessive relationship, but it's now thought as many as 15 genes may be involved.

Sometimes a different colored pod can arise from a random mutation or a random convergence of recessive traits. I've read somewhere that the yellow bhut jolokia was first found as a single pod (plant?) in a field of reds.
 
How do I change the color of chili with any chemicals ?
Can used ?

Not sure if it's legal for backyard growers to get their hands on the chemicals used to alter pepper genes. If you use chemicals to cause random mutations, you're relying on chance. A lot of the mutations will be bad ones too. It's easier to take a yellow pepper and cross it with a red.
 
It's not only chemicals they use to damage genes to create a certain color or other effect its also radiation and other stuff. You're right dulac it would be illegal to get your hands on that type of stuff without a lot of permits and a ton of money
 
How do I change the color of chili with any chemicals ?
Can used ?

Weed growers will use colloidal silver to force female plants to produce male flowers. That's how a lot of the big companies make feminized seeds. I'm sure you could use the same method on peppers, but what the outcome would be, I don't know.
 
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