Dutch Passion x Antonio – Breeding Case Study

By the Dutch Passion Seed Company, Amsterdam | dutch-passion.com

Antonio is a European cannabis breeder with over 35 cannabis cup wins over the last few years. He also has a prize collection of mother plants and cuttings – his most powerful and tasty phenotypes from years of growing & trading. This includes some of the best USA and European cultivars and is probably one of the finest independent collections in Europe.

Antonio recently made his first limited edition feminised seed drop using some of his most trusted, finest mother plants, resulting in Sour Tropicana Sherbet and Sherbelato Cake. Antonio chose to sell his seeds with Dutch Passion. This is the story of the genetics and the breeding process.

Exceptional US genetic foundation

“My collection of elite mother plants started in 2016”, explained Antonio, who is networked with numerous other cannabis cup winners and has access to some exceptional cuttings. “I learned early on that I had to be ruthless with the plants I retained and the ones that were not entirely up to the highest levels. Initially, I produced regular seeds. But thanks to many seasoned pros I met, I learned the tips and tricks to make quality feminised seeds. Both of my limited-edition strains use my favourite rock-solid Sherbet mother, 25% THC with loud flavours.”

Sherbelato Cake: (fem seeds) was made by crossing an award-winning Sherbet mother with Gelato x Wedding Cake. Expect extremely frosty buds loaded with trichomes, a very high yield and intense gelato tastiness.

Sour Tropicana Sherbet: (also fem seeds) is a crossing of the Sherbet mother with Sour Tropicana Cookies—numbingly powerful, stress-busting and tasty AF. You can expect vigorous plants that are easy to grow!

Sherbelato Cake

Key breeding principles

Antonio explained more about the choice of genetics for his first commercial seed drop.

“Dutch Passion wanted fully stable genetics in feminised seed form that had been tested before release. They also wanted strains that would be around and possibly above the 25% THC mark with real flavour. I chose the Sherbet mother since she is a reliable, stable, forgiving, potent and good-yielding strain that has been a key part of my collection for many years. It was easy to make her the first pick. She is a well-known, rock-solid, and thoroughly tested cultivar. The others come from an extensive selection process, sometimes taking a few years of testing in different environments/climates to make the final pick and use them to breed further.

Gelato x Wedding Cake is a sought-after USA cross of two heavyweights from the past 5 years. I just had to cross with these, based on the crazy terpy genetics, to create new high-THC varieties that can combine a very high potency with a solid yield.

Sour Tropicana Cookies is a new cross of Sour Diesel/Tropicana Cookies, which is incredibly dank and can have some beautiful pigmentation in the flowers. I wanted something more Sativa leaning to give the growers/smokers looking for a slightly more energising high a good choice during this limited drop.

The free seed with each strain, Triangle Sherbet Kush, comes from a selection process of a regular cross between a Sour Banana Sherbet mother gifted to me years ago and a Leeroy father. The selected phenotype is like her parents – potent, more than 25% THC in several lab tests and reeks like a sour limey earthy Kush.”

The 420 crossbreeding project background

Unlike many breeders that prefer to use pre-prepared frozen pollen, Antonio synchronises his male plants to release their pollen while the female plants are in early/mid-bloom. This older-school method does require timing and experience. But it allows efficient pollination with fresh pollen. The male plants were created by reversing the female mother.

Antonio added his key tips for any breeder:

“Identifying and preserving your best mother plants is key. Have cuttings in several locations, just in case. Professional lab analysis is essential to identifying outstanding individuals with the best cannabinoid and terpene profiles. You really can’t breed professionally without it!

Learn to be ruthless and discard all plants that don’t reach historic quality levels. Keep mother plants in a stable room where they can survive for many years, offering hundreds of cuttings.”

Sour Tropicana Sherbet

Breeding premium cannabis seeds

The breeding process results from several years of painstaking, rigorous selection that saw many fine phenotypes discarded in the quest for solid 25% THC levels alongside mouthwatering terpy flavours. The results were just what Antonio and Dutch Passion wanted. Just over 2000 feminised Sour Tropicana Sherbet seeds & Sherbelato Cake were produced. This allowed 420 packs of 5 seeds in each variety. Here are a few final tips from Antonio:

Mother plant selection and preservation

“Your own experience will show you the best phenotypes. But you will need lab analysis to separate the elite from the merely excellent. Find out as much as you can from experienced breeders & cannabis cup winners.”

Pollination process: how to produce stable feminised seeds

“Pollen can be frozen and stored but eventually becomes clumpy and unusable. As you gain experience, timing fresh pollen release from male plants becomes convenient. Applying the pollen with male flowers stuck to a small paint brush works well.”

Gathering pollen for storage and “Painting” with male flowers

Crossbreeding genetic expression evaluation

“Subtle influences from one parent or the other can be expressed better using back-crossing. The most challenging aspects are retaining high terpene & THC levels – which need to hit 20-25% reliably. The key is the preparation and use of ultra-solid, proven parent genetics. This can take years of effort. Take your time, don’t rush.”

Antonio’s key learnings and breeding insights

“Cannabis has been a passion and an obsession for over 20 years now. The passion for the plant, the passion for the bud, and the passion for the smoke. Sharing this passion with like-minded individuals through my seeds is a joy. Perhaps it’s not a coincidence that I was allowed to hook up with Dutch Passion. It’s probably in the name, isn’t it?”

Triangle Sherbet Kush S1 – seeded bud

Words & images by Dutch Passion
This article appeared in Weed World Magazine Issue 170