Welcome!

[rowan]

Don't worry Galina, you are not the only one who understands 'Landrace' as entirely different than most of the people on here.

[Joseph Lofthouse]

rowan: If you were to write a definition of "landrace", what would it be?

[rowan]

As a farmer it is understood that a landrace is a definite variety or standardised breed that is locally adapted to an area but is essentially that same variety all over the world - a good example is the Landrace great white pig. There is the Australian landrace, German landrace etc, etc but they are all Great White pigs. The only difference is that the Great White pig of each country is adapted to the climate, management style or feed of that area.
The same with vegetable varieties - a 'landrace' Black Russian may be adapted to different soils or climates in different areas, but it still looks and tasted like Black Russian. Take a Black Russian from, say, Russia, and it will not do well in Saudi Arabia but it can be adapted with selection to do well there over a couple of generations.

That is the definition that all farmers understand.

A mix of all sorts of varieties is not a 'landrace' in the general definition, it is just a mix, a bitser.

[Joseph Lofthouse]

So something like the Windsor Fava bean? It's pretty diverse, and therefore able to adapt well to the different places that it's grown.

[keen101 (Biolumo / Andrew B.)]

Welcome to old and new!

though i certainly don't wish to choose sides over different views of what qualifies as a landrace, Galina and Rowan provide interesting viewpoints. Though my personal take is that if something has a name it no longer is and ceases to be a landrace and suddenly becomes a variety or strain no matter how wide or narrow it's genetic base it or genetic drift it continues to have. It might become several local adapted varieties around the world or region but i personally would never call it a landrace again.

On the other hand calling large populations with perhaps artificially wide genetic variability perhaps is not a landrace either since it has not yet adapted to a locale. Perhaps the progression is/should be Grex > Hybrid Swarm > Landrace > Local Variety > Broad Variety > Highly Inbred Strain

But should the definition of a landrace be different for animals (namely pigs), from vegetable crops, from marijana crops, from humans? Should there even be a definition at all? I kindof see it as arbitrary anyway you look at it. The borders between what one determines a grex from a hybrid swarm from a landrace from a local variety or what distinguishes a species from another species (often who are both able to still interbreed with one another) are all rather fuzzy and grey. I personally don't see a way to reconcile the "lumper" from the "splitter" because often they both are right and wrong together.

[Joseph Lofthouse]

I've enjoyed reading about "marijuana landraces" tonight. My reading informed me about the term "Heirloom Strains", which are used to describe the offspring of crosses between landraces. I was interested to read that variety names are often a description of the phenotype of the plant. So "Great White Pig" would fit right in. In practice, that's how I name my strains: "Dry Bush Beans", or "Red Determinate Slicing Tomato". I don't care about genetic drift, as long as the phenotype is consistent.

[steev]

starbuckennis: I just noticed that you're in Oakland! Yes, a hard place to grow decent corn, though not impossible; worst thing about the East Bay is that there's no real winter down-time, nor summer heat.

Rowan: I'm (marginally) a farmer, but I don't understand your definition of "landrace"; prolly an academic description, useful in rigorous usage. I admit (proudly?) to being a bit of a sloppy thinker.

Joseph: it never occurred to me that folks in Utah had any awareness of marijuana, whatsoever; somehow it seemed that Utah is too uptight; I should have known better, since Utah is generally noted as the state most given to viewing porn.

keen101: I think I agree; these labels are useful/necessary when dealing academically, but less so, where the seed hits the soil and the food happens.

[Joseph Lofthouse]

steev: Prohibition is a wonderful technique for insuring that the banned activity or product becomes more widespread... For what it's worth, the outdoor grows in my valley produce some of the finest marijuana in the world.

[mskrieger]

Jan 19, 2017 11:22:32 GMT -5 Joseph Lofthouse said:

steev : Prohibition is a wonderful technique for insuring that the banned activity or product becomes more widespread... For what it's worth, the outdoor grows in my valley produce some of the finest marijuana in the world.

I suspect that that is one crop that definitely profits from terroir....

[keen101 (Biolumo / Andrew B.)]

Welcome mumular and others!

Let us know where you all are from and what brought you to the forum!

[frmaiz]

Carlos F Llorente, Argentina.
Commercial corn breeder since 1967, started with Asgrow Seed Co. here and since 1981, independant. Master Degree from TexasA&M in Plant Breding. Attempting to increase yield in flint corn, and found it’s a very slow process!

[walt]

Welcome Carlos.
Which flint corn or corns are you working with?  South American Flints, North American Flints, tropical Flints?  I would think there would be enough genetic variation to improve yields.  And of course, introgression from non-flints could raise yields.  What are your goals, other than yield?  If you are trying to keep a distinct flavor or texture, then selection for yield while maintaining that quality could be very slow.
Feel free to start your own thread on this topic, or any other topic.

[richardw]

hello Carlos and welcome

[philagardener]

Welcome on Board, Carlos! Glad to have you join us, and from such an interesting location!

[crabapple]

I have been gardening for 45 year, mostly organic double dug beds, but I have enough land to grow single row method.
I have been on gardenweb for years, I just found this site today.
I am in South Carolina, we garden year a round here.