Thread: Striped pepper!
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Old February 5, 2017   #227
PhilaGardener
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Some mutations are dominant and show in the M1 generation but many are recessive and require selfing the M1 and screening of the M2 (analogous to the F2 of a normal cross) to recover individuals with two copies of the affected gene to express the trait.

Most mutageneses generate multiple hits per genome to increase the chances of getting something interesting. Only a few generate visible phenotypes, but many can have a negative effect on the health of the plant, so carrying things out a few generations can let things segregate and help reduce negative genetic effects. A breeder might also back-cross to the original line since that is identical, except for the induced mutations, as a way to restore vigor but that is more labor intensive (particularly in the case of recessive traits).
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