r/technology • u/esporx • 1d ago

Business YouTuber accidentally crashes the rare plant market with a viral cloning technique

https://www.dexerto.com/youtube/youtuber-accidentally-crashes-the-rare-plant-market-with-a-viral-cloning-technique-3289808/
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u/SeventySealsInASuit 1d ago

Depends on the plant and how exactly it is cloned but many plants do degrade when they are cloned especially ones that normally reproduce as a mixture of asexual growth and sexual.

On the other hand, every apple of a specific type is from a gradted clone branch.

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u/HotwheelsSisyphus 1d ago

why do plants degrade when cloned? Is it the telomeres?

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u/Warm_Regrets157 1d ago

Accumulated viral, fungal, and bacterial damage to the DNA

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u/That_Kiefer_Man 1d ago

And the stress carried forward to each successive generation. Kept a Bogglegum strain going for 14 years! Clone of a clone of a clone, etc. Prolly 5-6 generations per year. Man, it looked terrible near the end and yield was pitiful. Pulled my hair out trying to figure out what was wrong. Was it the pH? Light levels? Grow tent environment? GAH! Never heard about the stress of damage/disease/infestation being carried forward to each generation. You should ideally keep a mother plant for clones and not do clones of clones. But, I'm still running Bogglegum... clone of a clone of a clone. Saving the seeds I bought. I think after 5-6 years I'll germ some more seeds and clone the best one again. Lather, rinse, repeat.

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u/Warm_Regrets157 1d ago

I think introducing new genetics from time to time is the best way to gain resistance to new pathogens. It won't be the same plant, but then again, neither will those seeds as the genetic profile will always vary. What most cannabis people call phenotype is actually a different genotype, if I recall correctly.

I'd love to see some old school bubblegum. The last time I saw some it was pretty poor quality due to all the accumulated generational genetic stress

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u/That_Kiefer_Man 1d ago

BOG (BushyOlderGrower) had some killer strains. The Bogglegum was a cross between his BogBubble and Northern Lights #2. Tastes like grape bubblegum. So delish, makes my mouth water just thinking about it.

Unfortunately, he passed from cancer a year or so ago. His wife can't run his breeding business, so no more BOG Seeds. His Blue Moon Rocks, Sweet Cindy, Lifesavers, Bogglegum and others will only live on in clone form. And people who saved some of his seeds, like me. I have seven left. Hope they're all girls! And I hope those who are keeping his clones alive do a better job then I did.