Re: Epigenome genetics

To clarify, I think Chuck means the accumulation of the 90% of non-active genetic material is random. If I understand how epigenetics works, methylation (which turns the genes on) is <not> random, but a specific response to stress. So the combination of the genes being present and which ones get turned on is random, but the stress triggers the process.
My thought on all this is that seeds bred in non-stressed environments may be coming from plants that may <have> been re-set to a non-stressed condition, hence they don't have those genes turned on by stress that could help them survive here in iris hell.
Anecdote - I got a start of MATRIX back in the 80s from Hall, another start in 2001 from Sutton's, a third start more recently from Winterberry. The first two behave the same here - rot some, but reliably bloom spring, occasional "summer", and fall, normally escape most freeze damage. The third has been a more robust grower, but has yet to bloom successfully - it puts up abundant stalks spring and fall, but so far (2 seasons?), they've been frozen out. The reason I asked for a start from Winterberry was because the behavior of my MATRIX seemed at odds with what I was hearing from others about their MATRIX.
Of course, there it may be that this has nothing to do with epigenetics, may just be two siblings in circulation with nearly identical blooms that respond slightly differently to environment.
<About 90% of genetic information in plant genes are non-active genetic material, most of it reflecting genetic evelutionary history. These are usually turned off through mythalization , but can be de-methylazied by stress factors. But this is random, not specifially tuned to enironmental stres placed on it.> 
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Linda Mann east Tennessee USA zone 7/8
East Tennessee Iris Society <http://www.DiscoverET.org/etis>
Region 7, Kentucky-Tennessee <http://www.aisregion7.org>
American Iris Society web site <http://www.irises.org>
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