Re: HYB: ?

Mark A. Cook asked:

:  Sharon,
:  If the seedlings you tossed were decent, why did you toss them after
:  finding out that one of the parents was misnamed?  You can register and
:  introduce Irises when both parents are unknown.  

In this case, they were "decent" but not special.  It was a cross for which I
had very high expectations and the disappointing nature of the seedlings was
what made me question the identity of the imported parent.  If one of its
offspring had turned out to be something as special as CHILD OF GOD, I would
certainly have gone ahead and introduced it.

:  Are you breeding only from
:  certain genetic lines? 

Genetic experiments are my top priority.  Sometimes they produce seedlings
worthy of introduction.  Sometimes they don't.  In either case, though, I gain
valuable information -- information that I can exploit in subsequent crosses.
Such experiments can be separated into two groups:

1.	Phenotypic.   When breeders are selected on the basis of  exhibited
traits pedigreed stock is certainly desirable, but if none is available
something of unknown parentage can be used.   It's still possible to make and
test predictions.  The seedlings will still provide some useful information --
just not as much as that from pedigreed lines.  

2.	Genotypic.  When  carriers are used, pedigree is even more important
because it's the main way of identifying potential breeding stock.  If a
cultivar chosen on the basis of pedigree turns out to be mislabeled, that
particular experiment reaches a dead-end.  

:  Or, was the "mystery Iris" one that once
:  identified, is known for producing offspring with undesirable traits?  

The "mystery iris" could not be identified.  I could only determine that it was
NOT what I'd purchased.  Because I had used it so heavily, I had enough
offspring to determine that it wasn't worth using again.

Sharon McAllister
73372.1745@compuserve.com
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