Purple Pea Pod
Welcome to our exciting journey into the world of plant breeding, where science and nature come together to create something truly remarkable. In this blog, we'll delve into the development of our variety of dwarf purple pea pods. It's a story of genetics, patience, and a passion for innovation.
Breeding Process and Parental Generation
Our journey begins with two distinct parent plants. One is a tall plant that boasts purple pea pods, while the other is dwarf in height and has green pea pods. Our goal was clear from the start: to create a pea plant that combines the best of both worlds, featuring dwarfism (which is perfect for our patented silo system) and vibrant purple pods.
It should be noted that the tall height trait is dominant over dwarfism and green pea pod color is dominant over purple pea pod coloration.
The F1 Generation
In our first generation, known as F1, we saw the emergence of tall plants with green pods. This is exactly what would be expected from the cross of these two parents. In this generation, we allowed the F1 plant to self-pollinate, instead of the cross-pollination that was done in the parental generation.
The F2 Generation
The second generation, F2, was a turning point in our journey. What was exciting was the emergence of 12.5% plants which were both dwarf in height and purple in pod color, showing that we were on the right track.
However, not all peas conformed to our ideal; some displayed tall green pods, tall purple pods, or short green plants. This variation was expected in this generation, as we were still in the early stages of our breeding program.
The F3 Generation and Beyond
One of the fascinating things about peas is their strong self-pollination ability. This means that as we move forward, we can expect fewer issues with trait segregation. We've now established the dwarf purple pea pod as our mother line, and we plan to keep seeds from this pod for generations to come.
By the time we reach the F8 generation, we will have achieved genetic stability. This means there are no hidden genetic surprises, and the traits we desire will be consistently expressed.
