okay, I have always wondered this. But never remembered to ask anyone. In terms of longevity as well as stronger traits, would seeds from a healthy plant can effect how dirty and healthier the seeds are? Just like humans, if a man is built like a brick wall, the son and/or daughter has a good chance to be like that, so my question is if you use the same strain, or offspring over and over and give them the best care they could have, will the seeds also inherit a stronger self? I hope that makes sense.

Its the genetic health that's important, not the health health of the plant. But a healthy plant probably also has good genetics. Seeds have all the genetic characteristics of all their ancestors on both sides of the family carefully stored away. The farther from the ancestors you get, the more the plant changes because the plants blessed with good genetics are the ones most likey to survive and thrive and produce the next generation. And they won't be exactly like their parents. Close, but not quite.

If you want a plant to be exactly like its parent, then grow it from a cutting. A seed is going to change the genetics of the plant ever so slightly. We take advantage of that by selectively breeding for certain characteristics: size, vigor, color....

Daisy

Well heredity and evolution with it favour genes that give an organism - here a plant - a greater chance of survival. Survival subsequently gives the organism a chance to spread those genes onto its offspring which will (should/most likely will) inherit those genes for IT to survive and spread ITS (the original plant) genes further and further, thus ensuring the species as a whole will endure and flourish.

It's not nessecarily because a father is a bodybuilder the son is 'born' a bodybuilder as well. The son is just more likely to have the genetic blueprint - the promise - to become very muscular; have genes that promote fast and rapid muscle growth.

Continued breeding with the same strain might indeed improve a certain trait generation after generation if you keep breeding with the individuals that show the most strength in that trait, but it's not foolproof. Faults happen such as mutation during gamete forming. So a healthy strong plant can produce a defect pollen grain that gives rise to a less strong offspring.
As I said before, in the wild that defect offspring might not survive and so nature eradicates the weak ones itself. In culture it's up to the breeder to recognize traits that he desires 'favorable', but which are not nessecarily so in nature. Example is long stems: nice to look at and for cut flowers, but not handy in a wind blown meadow


Bottom line of my overly long story: the strongest plants for a given trait are the most likely to pass on that strong trait - and improve -over generations, but it's not foolproof. It's up to you to pick them out.

Ģod, what a great answer, thank you

You look like your 16 years old, if so.. you got a bright future

im 25 ;)

So you in college at Brazil for botany.

Brazil?

I think Brendan may be confusing Arico with Bonitin...they are both from Belgium and Bonitin has entered a number of plants from her trips to Brazil into the database here...

Oh, god I thought it said Brazil..... sorry...Belgium