Selection is the process of carrying out one's breeding intentions to the very end.
When people hear the word "selection," many might imagine it means "keeping the most beautiful plant."
Of course, identifying beautiful plants is important.
However, for me, selection is more than just that.
Selection is about believing in the potential of genetics and choosing parent plant candidates to carry the next generation in order to create unknown expressions.
This is what selection means to acu's.
That is why a plant does not become a top-tier specimen simply because it is "the most beautiful one right now."
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◎Selection begins after the cross is finished
There is always an intention behind a cross.
In one cross, I might pursue leaf shape; in another, velvet texture; and in yet another, I might aim for specific colors or vein expressions.
Of course, sometimes I set concrete goals like "black and round velvet," while other times I start from an abstract theme like "wanting to find an unseen expression."
The direction aimed for differs with each cross.
And that breeding intention becomes the standard for selection.
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◎Why acu's adopts a deduction-based system
At acu's, we perform selection using a deduction-based system.
Plants that deviate from the intended direction will not receive a top rating, no matter how attractive they may be.
This does not mean that the plant has no value.
In fact, it is often a very attractive individual.
However, if that individual differs from the expression aimed for in this particular cross, it represents "a different possibility."
Selection is not about being swayed by the beauty of the moment.
It is the work of carrying out the goal set before the cross to the very end.
If you change your evaluation criteria halfway through because "this one seems like it will be more popular," the answer obtained from that cross becomes ambiguous.
Breeding is not a game of chasing the latest trends.
I believe it is an endeavor to verify a single hypothesis to the end.
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◎Being popular is different from keeping a plant
It is not that I ignore marketability.
Popular expressions have reasons that attract many people.
Therefore, for crosses aimed at popularization, marketability is also an important evaluation item.
I believe that improving plants so that more people can enjoy high-quality specimens is also an important role for a breeder.
On the other hand, it is a different story for breeding aimed at creation.
Marketability does not override breeding intention.
I do not keep them because "they seem like they will sell," but rather "I keep them because they are in the direction I aimed for."
This order is never reversed.
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◎Do plants that deviate from the intention have no value?
Of course, that is not the case.
It is not rare for unique plants that deviate from the breeding intention to be born.
Even if such plants do not become top-tier parent candidates for acu's, they may have great value as material with a different direction.
"With this personality, someone with a different perspective than mine might develop it into a new type of breeding."
Thinking this way, I sometimes send them out to the market.
The possibilities of breeding are not something that concludes with one person.
That is why, while I stick to the path I am on, I do not want to deny the possibilities that could lead to a different future.
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◎Selection is performed in stages
Selection does not end in one go.
・Initial selection
At the stage of moving from plug trays to 2-inch pots, I check for poor growth or individuals that deviate significantly from the breeding intention.
・Intermediate selection
By the time they go from 2-inch pots to 3-inch pots (sales size), I select them based on the breeding intention to about half to two-thirds of the total.
From this stage, candidates for "red tags," which are top-quality items for sale, and "yellow tags (keeper)," which indicate individuals with future potential, begin to appear.
・Final selection
By the time they go from 3-inch pots to 4-inch pots, the evaluation is mostly solidified.
The number of plants remaining as red tags varies by cross, but it is at most about 10 to 20 plants.
Yellow tags (keeper) are even more limited, only a very small number among them.
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◎The difference between yellow tags and red tags
Red tags are sales plants that represent that cross.
They are high-quality individuals that fully possess the characteristics of that cross.
On the other hand,
yellow tags (keeper) are not based on sales quality standards.
They are an investment in the future.
"There is an unseen potential in these genes."
Only plants that I feel this way about remain in my hands.
I do occasionally send a very small portion of yellow tags to the market, but
it is not simply because they are rare.
It is because I have a desire to entrust them to someone who shares those values and will take on the challenge of new breeding from this plant.That is why there is meaning in their price.
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◎Selection is the work of deciding the future
Selection is not the work of choosing the most beautiful plant.
It is not the work of following trends.
It is the work of believing in the future envisioned before the cross and carrying out that intention to the very end.
And at the same time, it is also about believing that there is a new future for the personalities I did not choose.
For acu's, selection is not the work of reducing possibilities.
It is the work of deciding the future I will walk toward from among countless possibilities.
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