A line is a breeding population carried on over generations from defined parents, under one name. It implies continuity: you can make more of it, and the next batch should resemble the last.
In practice
A breeder "working a line" grows each generation, selects parents for the next, and records which plants went into which batch. "Is it a line or a cross?" is a fair question to ask a seller: a single cross of two clones is one generation with no track record, while a line has been grown out, selected and tested several times.
Lines are tracked on GenetixBay by GB-ID, with each batch of seed recorded separately, because the same name can cover very different batches if the parents changed.
Don't confuse with
- Strain: a popular name that may refer to a line, a cut or just a label.
- IBL: a line inbred until it breeds fairly true; a stricter claim.
- Cut: one individual kept by cloning.
A GB-ID is GenetixBay's permanent identifier, such as GB-GEN-0001842-6, for a genetic line, landrace, seed batch, plant, cut, grow, harvest, trial or document, so records never get lost or renamed.An IBL (inbred line) is a seed line that has been inbred and selected over many generations until it breeds true for its main traits, giving uniform offspring.Cloning is propagating a plant by rooting cuttings from it, producing new plants that are genetically identical to the donor.A cross is the offspring of mating two different plants, written female x male, as "A x B"; one cross starts a line but is not one.A breeder develops lines over generations with clear goals, large grow-outs, selection of both sexes, stability and herm testing, and honest lineage records.Bay Lines are GenetixBay's community breeding programme: lines bred from member-nominated keepers and documented males, tested and released with full records.
