Re: Copy of: Re: Iris Breeding -- terminology

>Graham Spencer asked:
>
>:  any good ideas for a first text to read?
>
>My favorite introductory  text is Gardner's "Principles of Genetics".

Most genetics texts these days are heavy on the biochemistry and fairly
light on classical Mendelian genetics, which is what most iris breeders
would be interested in.   So it would be a good idea to stick to older
"outdated" texts if what you want is a general intro to genetics.  I'd
suggest looking into any fairly voluminous Introductory Biology text first,
for a boiled-down version of how chromosomes, etc., work.

One thing missing from most texts but important to irisarians is tetraploid
genetics.  World of Irises has a good account of it, as well as an intro to
genetics in general, with iris examples.

I suspect a lot of breeders get along very well with a minimum of knowledge
about genetics--after all, the old-timers who established the ancient
breeds of cattle, sheep and hogs as well as originated wheat and maize
hadn't a clue.  They simply used their eyes and other senses and selected
offspring with the traits they wanted.

Sharon needs her considerable knowledge of genetics because she deals with
things like amphidiploids, etc., important in wide-cross offspring.   If
you're doing TBs, you might be as well served just raising lots and lots of
seedlings from parents you like and doing intensive selection.  Somewhere I
read that Ray Schreiner boils down more than 10,000 seedlings to 15 or so
that have the potential for introduction.  Seems as if the creative process
here comes in the selection, perhaps more so than in the choice of
parents.......

Best wishes, Bill
___________________
William A. Shear
Department of Biology
Hampden-Sydney College
Hampden-Sydney VA 23943 USA
phone (804) 223-6172
FAX (804) 223-6374
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