>>2351300>... which could "taint" the genes you're deliberately trying to isolateMakes sense, then, to have an enclosed space - maybe a miniature greenhouse - to control for this.
>... isolated from other members of the same species and even similar species who could hybridizeThis makes me wonder about the general viability of pollen; it's safe to say that the same species would naturally cross-pollinate, but what about the same genus? Same family? Same order, even? How deep does it go?
And then, if you go farther down the line, and, for example, cross-pollinate a watermelon with a cucumber, who's to say you wouldn't get a more desirable product than just cucumber/cucumber? Is it a general rule that the further you cross-pollinate down the taxonomic order, the less viable/desirable the product?
Interesting stuff. Thanks.
