Are there "Identical Twin" plants?

[David Starrett]

At 08:24 PM 12/15/2000, George Hammond wrote:
>Dear Bionet:
>    I am a Physicist not a Biologist.  I have a simple
>question about asexual plants.
>
>1.  Is this "theoretically" possible?
>2.  Has anyone ever done it?
>
>As far as research is concerned, this would be the equivalent
>of "Identical Twins" testing in Psychology... only now we
>would have a database consisting of MILLIONS of Identical Twin
>Potatoes.  Is this correct?
>
>   The reason I ask, is that the question has come up as to
>whether you can actually PROVE that there is such a thing as
>a "growth curve variation" which is ABSOLUTELY INDEPENDENT
>of "genetics".  It seems to me, simply measuring the yearly
>crop yield variation in such a planting of "Identical Twin
>Potatoes" would prove that such a thing exists.  Has this
>already been proven.  Is it a commonly known biological
>fact of Plant Biology?


Many tree crops are clones.  For example, the Haas variety of avocado ALL
derives (cloned) from a single tree in the front yard of a family in
Southern California.


Dave Starrett



/^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^\
|  Dr. David Starrett, Director                    |
|  Center for Scholarship in Teaching and Learning |
|  MS 4650, 1 University Plaza                     |
|  Southeast Missouri State University             |
|  Cape Girardeau, MO 63701                 \      |
|  Ph: (573) 651-2298                       /\     |
|  Fax: (573) 986-6858                     (__)    |
|  email: starrett at cstl.semo.edu                   |
|  WWW: http://cstl.semo.edu                       |
\                                                  /
  ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^


---