Seems like almost every time there is a happy accident / cross pollination / recessive genes popping up in someone's garden there is a new pepper announced. I like the hobby, so I have no issue with buying the new seeds thinking no way they are stable, growing them for generation and seeing what comes of them. But I do so with no expectation of getting what is promised because so many people are just.... well wrong about what they are selling.
What confuses me is why we do not hear more about pods from F1 hybrid clones. No, the seeds will not likely grow true... but unless grown differently the pods will taste the same as the mother plant.
Pepper X is my example. So someone has a happy surprise or maybe an intentional cross that produces a fantastic new pod: The X Pepper. Who knows what seeds from that pod will grow until many generations of selective seed saving focused on the intended traits? Ah, but the pods from that mother plant will taste like the pods from that mother plant. The mother plant can be kept alive for many years and produce many clones with nearly the exact same dna (localized mutations do happen). The clones from the mother plant can also be kept alive for yeas and provide many clones. Yes, you loose vigor after so many cloned clones but done right, you could have literally millions of plants before that happens.
By doing this, the person who discovers or creates a fantastic new pepper has pods to sell while s/he tries to grow out the hybrid into something stable. If the thing is popular, s/he could sell the pods to fund growing out the hybrid till stable. People who buy the pods could feel like they were involved in developing Pepper X. As they do, they'd likely post reviews and improve public awareness of the new pepper. Everyone wins.
Now if you are like most people, at this point you are saying growers do not want the seeds for a new pepper getting loose. Thing is, those seeds are not stable, they wont grow the same pepper. Sure, people will claim they are growing it but they do that already.
So I wonder, is it that the market is more focused on seeds than pods that folk do not do this?
Thoughts?
What confuses me is why we do not hear more about pods from F1 hybrid clones. No, the seeds will not likely grow true... but unless grown differently the pods will taste the same as the mother plant.
Pepper X is my example. So someone has a happy surprise or maybe an intentional cross that produces a fantastic new pod: The X Pepper. Who knows what seeds from that pod will grow until many generations of selective seed saving focused on the intended traits? Ah, but the pods from that mother plant will taste like the pods from that mother plant. The mother plant can be kept alive for many years and produce many clones with nearly the exact same dna (localized mutations do happen). The clones from the mother plant can also be kept alive for yeas and provide many clones. Yes, you loose vigor after so many cloned clones but done right, you could have literally millions of plants before that happens.
By doing this, the person who discovers or creates a fantastic new pepper has pods to sell while s/he tries to grow out the hybrid into something stable. If the thing is popular, s/he could sell the pods to fund growing out the hybrid till stable. People who buy the pods could feel like they were involved in developing Pepper X. As they do, they'd likely post reviews and improve public awareness of the new pepper. Everyone wins.
Now if you are like most people, at this point you are saying growers do not want the seeds for a new pepper getting loose. Thing is, those seeds are not stable, they wont grow the same pepper. Sure, people will claim they are growing it but they do that already.
So I wonder, is it that the market is more focused on seeds than pods that folk do not do this?
Thoughts?
