# Breeder record-keeping and naming ethics

> Keep a dated record of every plant, cross, batch and test, linked by permanent IDs, so any seed can be traced to its parents. Name lines honestly: a new, unique name for new genetics, the original name only for the original genetics, clear labels (F2, BX, S1, feminised), and never a famous name on something it isn't. Names are claims; records are the evidence. Sex stability is part of the ethics: cull herm-prone plants, never breed from them, and publish every batch's herm rate.

- Canonical: https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/breeding/record-keeping-naming-ethics.html
- Category: Breeding · Level: Breeder
- Evidence: Supported · Status: Draft: awaiting expert review (some figures are being checked)
- Stage: Any stage · Systems: Any system
- Updated: 2026-10-31 · Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/), attribute "GenetixBay Knowledge Base (genetixbay.com/knowledge)"

## Questions and answers

**What records should a cannabis breeder keep?** A cannabis breeder should keep dated records for every plant (ID, source, sex, photos, scores), every selection decision, every pollination (female, male, date, branch, pollen batch), every seed batch (parents, seed count, [feminised](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/feminised-seed.md) or regular, storage), every test ([germination](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/germination.md), sex, [chemotype](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/chemotype.md), [HLVd](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/hop-latent-viroid.md)), every release and every transfer. Undated notes not linked to plant IDs don't count.

**How should I name my new strain?** Give a new cannabis cross a new, unique name that no one else has used for cannabis; search first. Following international cultivated-plant naming principles, avoid names that mislead about origin, effect or breeder, and avoid copying other brands. Publish the name together with its pedigree claim, generation and grow-out results.

**Can I use someone else's strain name?** Use another breeder's strain name only for their original genetics. An [S1](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/s1.md) or cross of it should be labelled as such, for example 'Line A S1' with your breeder name, or given a new name with Line A shown in the pedigree. Adding a famous name to genetics that don't descend from it to help sales is misleading.

**What should go on a seed pack label?** A cannabis seed pack label should show the line name and breeder, the pedigree claim with generation (F1, F2, BX, S1) and evidence level, feminised or regular, photoperiod or [autoflower](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/autoflower.md), batch and pack IDs, seed count, germination test result with date and sample size, the grow-out [herm rate](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/herm-threshold.md) with plant count, the packing date and any legally required notice.

**How do I write a pedigree?** Write a cannabis pedigree female first, as female x male, then add the generation and method, such as F2, BX2 to Line A, S1 or feminised by STS [reversal](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/sex-reversal.md). Name the specific individuals with their IDs, not just line names, for example 'Line A #3 x Line B male #7', and mark any uncertain link as reported or unverified.

**Is it OK to rename a clone?** No, renaming a clone to claim ownership of it is not acceptable practice. A [clone-only](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/clone-only.md) cannabis cut keeps its original name; add your selection or source as a qualifier instead. Renaming cuts is one reason same-named strains so often turn out genetically different in DNA studies, and it breaks the chain of records.

**Should breeders disclose [hermaphrodite](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/hermaphrodite.md) rates?** Yes, breeders should disclose hermaphrodite rates. The GenetixBay breeder standard requires growing out a sample of every seed batch and publishing its herm rate with the number of plants, number of intersex plants, the week seen and the conditions. A herm rate without a plant count means little, and lines above 2% in tester grows don't qualify for featuring.

**Is it ethical to sell seed from a plant that hermed?** No, selling seed from a plant that hermed is not ethical under GenetixBay breeding standards. Herm pollen makes female-looking seed that carries the same intersex tendency into every pack. A plant that herms, along with its clones, should be culled and never selfed, reversed or crossed. Releasing untested or unstable seed is pollen chucking.

**Short answer.** If it isn't written down, dated and linked to a plant ID, it didn't happen. Record every pollination, batch, test and selection. Name new work with a new, unique name; label generation and seed type plainly; and never reuse a famous name for genetics that aren't it. The strain-name mess documented in genetic studies [3][4] is largely a record-keeping and naming failure.

## What's happening

Cannabis grew up outside formal plant variety systems. Names spread by word of mouth, cuts were renamed, and seed was sold under borrowed names. Genetic studies of dispensary samples found many same-named strains with genetic outliers [3], and lab data show some names are chemically consistent while others are not [4]. Good records are the fix the industry skipped.

## The minimum record set

| Record | Contents | GenetixBay entity |
|---|---|---|
| Plant | ID, source (pack, cut, cross), germination date, sex, photos, scores | GB-IND / GB-CUT |
| Selection | Rubric scores, notes, why kept or culled | Journal event on GB-IND |
| Pollination | Female ID, male (or reversed female) ID, date, branch, pollen batch | `pollination` event |
| Batch | Parents, dates, seed count, feminised/regular, storage | GB-BAT |
| Test | Germination (n, %, date, method), sex check, chemotype, HLVd | GB-DOC on the batch or plant |
| Release | Line name, pedigree claim, generation, description, grow-out data | GB-GEN with LIN claims |
| Transfer | Who received seed or cuts, when | `transfer` event |

## Writing a pedigree

- **Female first:** `(Line A x Line B)`, female x male.
- **Generation and method:** `F2`, `BX2 to Line A`, `S1`, `Feminised (STS-reversed Line A #3)`.
- **Specific individuals, not just names:** `Line A #3 (GB-CUT-...) x Line B male #7 (GB-IND-...)`.
- **Mark uncertain links as uncertain:** "reported" or "unverified", with the evidence level.

## Naming rules (GenetixBay practice, drawn from the ICNCP)

The International Code of Nomenclature for Cultivated Plants requires that a cultivar name be unique within its denomination class, not misleading, and established by publication [1]. Applied to cannabis:

1. **New genetics, new name.** A new cross gets a name no one else has used for cannabis. Search GenetixBay and the wider web first.
2. **Original name for original genetics only.** "Line A" means the line as released by its originator. Your S1 or cross of it is "Line A S1 (your breeder name)" or a new name with "Line A" in the pedigree.
3. **No borrowed fame.** Don't add a famous name to genetics that aren't descended from it to help sales.
4. **Don't rename a clone to own it.** A clone-only keeps its name; add your selection or source as a qualifier.
5. **Don't use names that mislead about origin or effect** (e.g., implying a region, a medical effect, or a breeder who wasn't involved) [1].
6. **Not trademarks of others.** Avoid names that copy food, sweets or other brands. Besides being misleading, it creates legal risk.
7. **Publish the evidence with the name**: pedigree claim, generation, grow-out results.

## Ethics beyond names

- **Credit sources.** Name the breeder or keeper of parent material where known.
- **No undisclosed reversals.** Feminised status and method should be on the label.
- **Report problems.** Intersex rates, off-types and low germination belong in the public record.

### Males first, selfing last

> **House position: males are a necessity.** Real breeding needs real males, selected as carefully as the females. Males are encouraged and rewarded on GenetixBay, and a well-documented male line is a prized contribution. Selfing is mostly frowned upon: it was historically an emergency measure to save a line, not a shortcut. GenetixBay holds the best breeding standards: snobby, and proud of it.

### Sex stability is an ethics standard

> **Breeder's standard.** Cannabis is [dioecious](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/dioecious.md) and has been stable for millennia; [herm-prone](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/herm-prone.md) lines are mainly breeder error. A GenetixBay breeder (BRD-500) commits to: (1) using only mothers, reversal donors and males that ran sex-stable for at least two cycles; (2) culling every plant that herms, with its clones, and never selfing, reversing or crossing from it; (3) no repeated S1-on-S1 releases without grow-out and culling; (4) growing out a sample of every batch and publishing its herm rate (n plants, n intersex, week, conditions) on the GB-BAT; (5) not releasing a batch or line that herms under normal conditions. Releasing untested, unstable seed is "pollen chucking", and it is how herm-prone genetics spread. See [diagnosing hermaphrodites](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/diagnosis/hermaphrodites.md), [S1s and selfing](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/breeding/s1-selfing.md) and [feminised seed](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/breeding/feminised-seed-sex-reversal.md).
- **Don't claim effects.** Effects are "reported", never promised; no medical claims.
- **Respect origins.** For landrace or collected material, record where it came from and whether you have the right to distribute it.

## Pack label checklist

- Line name and breeder
- Pedigree claim with generation (F1, F2, BX, S1) and evidence level
- Feminised / regular; photoperiod / autoflower
- Batch ID (GB-BAT) and pack ID (GB-PKG)
- Seed count
- Germination test result, date, n
- Grow-out herm rate (n plants, n intersex)
- Packing date
- Local legal notice where required

## Common mistakes

- Paper notes that never get matched to plants.
- Writing "Line A x Line B" without saying which individuals.
- Publishing a name before checking it's free.
- Deleting bad results. On GenetixBay history is append-only; corrections are new events, not erasures.

## Evidence

- Naming principles: *Established* (international code) [1].
- Strain-name inconsistency in markets: *Supported* [3][4].
- Record sets and label checklist: GenetixBay practice (*Grower practice*).

## Sources

1. Brickell CD, et al. (eds). 2016. International Code of Nomenclature for Cultivated Plants, 9th edition. Scripta Horticulturae 18. ISHS. https://www.ishs.org/scripta-horticulturae/international-code-nomenclature-cultivated-plants-ninth-edition
2. UPOV. Test guidelines for hemp (Cannabis sativa L.), TG/276/1. https://www.upov.int/edocs/tgdocs/en/tg276_01.pdf
3. Schwabe AL, McGlaughlin ME. 2019. Genetic tools weed out misconceptions of strain reliability in Cannabis sativa: implications for a budding industry. Journal of Cannabis Research 1:3. https://doi.org/10.1186/s42238-019-0001-1
4. Smith CJ, Vergara D, Keegan B, Jikomes N. 2022. The phytochemical diversity of commercial Cannabis in the United States. PLoS ONE 17(5):e0267498. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0267498
5. McPartland JM, Small E. 2020. A classification of endangered high-THC cannabis (Cannabis sativa subsp. indica) domesticates and their wild relatives. PhytoKeys 144:81-112. https://doi.org/10.3897/phytokeys.144.46700