Accidental breeding projects can turn up bumper crops – and some weird and wonderful plants
I was always an unusual kid. At seven my dream wasn’t to grow up to be a fireman, astronaut or ninja, but a plant breeder. Having been read a children’s encyclopedia entry about the prolific 19th-century American plant breeder, Luther Burbank, the idea that I could play Willy Wonka with plants somehow fired up my imagination. A definite case of early-onset geekiness.
Yet, sadly, the reality of plant breeding is far more painstakingly methodical and boringly stats-driven than my seven-year-old self realised, not to mention expensive. Commercial breeders can take years to come up with breakthrough creations, growing tens of thousands of plants at a time, most of which never make it anywhere near becoming an interesting commercial variety.
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