Ployploidy in Marijuana anyone experimenting with it now?

[onavelzy]

last year I had an Afghan Kush turn polyploid. There was no discernible difference in the smoke compared to her sisters.

Here's some pics of the top.

Josh, how are you able to determine that that plant is polyploid? polyploidy is usually determined by counting the number of chromosomes. to my limited knowledge, there is not an appearance characteristic that will tell you a plant has one or more extra sets of chromosomes. that's a really cool rug by the way

Virginia, along those same lines, i don;t think any one can tell you from a picture whether that plant is or isn't polyploid. people commonly refer to plants with extra leaf sets as polyploid but that is probably inaccurate. they are demonstrating an alternative leafing pattern called whorled phylotaxy but not necessarily showing spontaneous polyploidy.

 

[josh223]

The plant had extra sets of leaves. Forgive me because I defoliate during growth. Looking back I should have taken more pics.

Basically, where the plant should have one set of leaves on each side of branch, it would have two or four.

 

[virgingrower]

one of the branches of my PP the stem has actually got so many leaves it is now growing pointing down towards the soil and the stem is not round it is flat,i'm getting my girls out later for a watering i will get some pics,weather its a polyploid or not doesn't really matter to me i think it's kinda cool cos it's growing different

 

[virgingrower]

here's the weirdo lol

 

[josh223]

Virgingrower, the stalk of you plant looks very similar to the plant I grew last year. I'd say that it is a polyploid. Very interesting...

 

[virgingrower]

that branch that bends over josh 223 it's crazy the amount of leaves on is is shocking i can't get anywhere near it with a camera it's just too god damn bushy ! lol

 

[josh223]

In your first pic a person can see pretty clearly the extra sets of leaves. Things like this continue to fascinate me.

 

[virgingrower]

pic from today

 

[virgingrower]

This is her halfway through flowering stage 28 days left can't get in close enough for pics it's way too busy in there !

 

[josh223]

Nice! If possible, I'd like to see some final pics of her when you pull her out at harvest time.

 

[virgingrower]

Yeah no probs josh,i plan on taking the main colas then leaving the lower nugs to ripen a little longer,i should be able to get some pics of that crazy branch then

 

[virgingrower]

I took a 4 clones a while back,one didn't root,one died a week after and 2 survived,i gave one away couldn't bring myself to give both so i kept this one under a real low powered cfl in a cardboard box,the pics show her spitting multiple leaves per node.

I am going to clone her again when she gets bigger

Cheers VG

 

[josh223]

My poly gal was just one of many clones taken from the same mother plant. The mother nor any other clones expressed the polyploid trait. I can't explain it...wish I could.

 

[Lester Freeman]

Apparently a lot of polyploidy traits come out of morocco. It is a very prevalent thing there.

 

[David Bowman]

Apparently a lot of polyploidy traits come out of morocco. It is a very prevalent thing there.

Congratulations RL on your MOTM win! Interesting, I wonder if it is a mutation in an attempt to survive the high heat and low humidity of the region by creating more fan leaves without having to create another side shoot or grow higher.

 

[Lester Freeman]

Congratulations RL on your MOTM win! Interesting, I wonder if it is a mutation in an attempt to survive the high heat and low humidity of the region by creating more fan leaves without having to create another side shoot or grow higher.

I think you're on the right track with that thinking. From what I saw on Strain Hunters Morocco Expedition, they had some pretty tall ass polyploidy plants, about ~5 feet tall. Looked exactly like Josh's celery stick, just way way bigger. Leaves coming out of the celery stick and no actual branches. The only thing it came to was the "crown" at the top, which was just a huge cluster of fan leaves.

It might not even be actual polyploidy. Actual lab work would need to be done to show an increased number of chromosomes. But I do believe it is a morphological advantage to surviving in nature. In my opinion, the advantage is water storage and enhanced efficiency for drought conditions. So you may very well be right about the environment of Morocco causing this physiological mutation in high prevalence. I can see how what the plant does is interesting, it is deciding not to put the energy into synthesizing branch protiens, instead it puts out big solar panel fan leaves which literally are redirecting all the photosynthesized energy into direct storage into the fibers of the main stalk as cellulose. It is that continual storage of energy into the main stem, rather than trying to grow new branches, that conserves water and energy. The plant is trying to survive and ultimately reproduce, they aren't exactly thinking "Hey I wanna make this guy big buds", so it's really interesting that this is one adaptive addition to a plant who is so spectacular and mysterious. And after all, they are still evolving, so the skies the limit.

Oh and thank you for the kind words!

 

[hockeybry2]

most of the fruits we consume are polyploids, due to typical plant behavior or more sets of chromosomes= larger fruits. I too have thought about toying with plant ploidy which could yield freakishly large buds. Again, as previously mentioned sterility is an issue.
-B

 

[virgingrower]

harvested smaller one last night,she hadn't grown much in the last couple of weeks,trichs were about 50% amber

 

[virgingrower]

Those nugs were sticky as hell packed with resin believe i or not put them into jars today weighed before hand 2.9 oz i didn't even think i was going to get an oz !

And while burping the jars today i found a seed

 

[AwrightMate]

I know this is old, but my plant got burned by the light, 115w cfl, lost around half its branches, and although 4 survived one of the bottom branches has now polypoid ( if that's correct ) 4 leaves at same height around one branch. I have now lst top 2 branches at hope polypoid?, and opposite branch will enlarge, 1st grow complete noob, does this happen often, and unsure about how to post pics