A note on drawing the line regarding the word "gene"

As I work with Anthurium, I have had more opportunities to hear the word
"gene".

The appearance of the leaves changes as the environment changes, or they seem to have changed their form since arriving in Japan.
Faced with such changes, people sometimes say that they have
"changed at the genetic level."

*I have seen this many times with Platycerium as well.

I do not want to deny that expression today.
However,


as a breeder, how much responsibility should I take when speaking about this?I would like to organize my thoughts on that line just a little bit.⸻

◎ What changes due to the environment and what does not

Plants react strongly to their environment.

Light intensity, temperature, humidity, water, and soil.
If these change, the thickness, color, and growth habit of the leaves will naturally change.
This is not an abnormality;

it is a perfectly normal behavior
as the plant attempts to adapt to its environment.
However, whether that change will appear in the same way

in the next generation is an entirely different matter.
⸻

◎ The "fluctuation" between heredity and environment

In reality, many expressions cannot be neatly divided
into these two categories.

The influence of the environment is clearly visible, but
one cannot say for certain that it will return completely to its original state.
On the other hand, it is not organized enough to
guarantee that it will be reproduced in the next generation.

In the field of plant genetics, such areas are often
collectively referred to as multifactorial.While this term itself is convenient,

the actual content is quite complex,
and it requires careful handling in the field.
⸻

◎ The scope of responsibility as a breeder

At acu’s forest, we take the stance of
only taking responsibility for parts where reproducibility has been confirmed.
We do not speak of expressions that appear temporarily due to the environment as "heredity."

This is not because it is wrong, but because


we cannot promise the same results when passed on to the next person.
I believe that breeding is not about talking about phenomena that have occurred,but about how much responsibility one takes for the possibilities that may occur next.⸻

◎ The choice not to discard fluctuation

However, I am not discarding fluctuation as something without value.
Rather, many attractive expressions

are born from this unstable, multifactorial area.
It is just that I believe these things only approach the topic of "heredity"

after going through the process of being:
• Observed
• Recorded
• Repeated

⸻

◎ Before using the word "gene"

The word "gene" can create a strong, easy-to-understand,
and attractive explanation.
That is precisely why I want to pause for a moment and think about what exactly I am referring to when I use it.


At acu’s forest, we intentionally try not to mix these three things:

• Changes due to the environment • Parts accepted as heredity
• Areas still in the process of being organized

intentionally not mixing them.


⸻

◎ Summary

What kind of environment has the Anthurium in your hands passed through?
What has changed, and what has not?
Thinking about that boundary itself

should deepen your perspective on plants just a little bit.

acupom