What Does Backcross (BX) Mean?
Backcross is a form of cannabis breeding that lets a desirable, targeted trait pass from the parent plant to the offspring.
Backcrossing differs from traditional breeding methods because it only involves one parent plant and the offspring.
Through the act of backcross breeding, a hybrid offspring is produced that is genetically very similar to the parent. Ideally, the offspring will carry two sets of the parent plant’s desirable genes.
Backcross breeding allows a grower to lock in coveted traits so they are passed on to successive generations.
Maximum Yield Explains Backcross (BX)
Backcross is often referred to as BX. The ‘B’ stands for back and the ‘X’ stands for cross. If a grower likes specific traits in a plant then backcrossing will help retain those traits in the strain.
However, a backcross breeding can be overdone. If a plant is inbred too frequently, it may cause bad recessive genes to spring up in the offspring. Backcross breeding should only be done once or twice.
With backcross breeding, the best male plant is usually selected instead of the female to be bred back to the parent.
It normally takes four or five generations of breeding the hybrid to the parent before it possesses the desired consistent traits. At that point, a male and female stabilized hybrid can be bred together to create a new hybrid.
