Fig Seeds

[Figology]

Good afternoon.

Does anyone know if all fertilized seeds from one fig will have a good chance of being like each other or does each one carry drastically different DNA?

I know there can be Male/Female seed and might not be like the parent figs but not much more than that. Thx

[acerpictum]

Good question. Would like to read about it in a modern article. Theoretically, even apomictic offspring will not have identical genotypes. But how does this happen in reality?

[venturabananas]

I think there are two key factors at play:

1) If more than one fig wasp entered the fig, then those wasps may have come from different caprifigs, in which case, the some of the seeds have a different pollen parent and are likely to be pretty different.

2) Even if only a single wasp entered, each pollen grain on it contains a different reshuffling of the caprifig's genes, so every seedling is genetically different, and so, should be a different as different siblings within a family sharing the same mother and father.

[Figology]

comment was regarding possible pollen from 2 different caprifigs. Which flower gets it

[goodfriendmike]

Figology which flower inside the fig gets it?

[Figology]

goodfriendmike good question. Let me simplify my question. If there are 2 pollen parents on the same ovum, does it automatically get fertilized by the first one?

[goodfriendmike]

Good question. But I am not sure you are asking it right. The DNA should be similar as yours is to your parents. If you research some of the breeding programs. They have produced a lot of different figs as far as color,size, leaf shape,etc By breeding the same male and female. So I am guessing you could get something like the mother and father. But also a bunch of completely different figs.

[Figology]

The drastic DNA comment was a variation from seed to seed. Like a full sibling that looks completely different than the other.

[Kid Fig]

Also you end up with only a few that are palatable. So for example f you had 50 viable seeds, grew them all and they finally fruit; only maybe 5 end up being tasty....

At least this is what I read (I could be wrong).

[Figology]

I like those odds

[Kid Fig]

@Traba

The bad part is having fifty 3-7 gallon pots taking up your space.

In my case it be very hard to accommodate 50+ pots along with my other 20 potted fig trees.

Maybe when I finally sell and move to find another house with an actual yard (sigh).

[Figology]

Kid Fig I once heard the term “gorilla gardening”

[arachyd]

When I planted seeds from a dried supermarket fig the resulting trees were all drastically different from each other.

[Figology]

That’s what I was thinking. Like an apple grown from seed.