[](https://bifbeans.com/bif-blog/concepts-and-basic-terminology-in-cannabis-breeding)

Have you ever gone strain shopping and been bewildered by the terminology and abbreviations? What does it mean when a breeder states, "We've revitalized our IBL Gold Miner with this BX1 using our Columbian Gold mother!" or "An F2 Afghan Safari certain to amaze you!" It can be difficult to decipher these seemingly esoteric descriptions as if you were never invited to join some hidden breeder's society. So, consider this your personal invitation to the party.

## Hybrid
A hybrid is created when two separate strains are crossed. Take, for example, the hybrid The-Special[](https://bifbeans.com/cannabis-seeds/p/the-special). This is a cross between a Peyote Gorilla and an Angry Gorilla#2 plant, resulting in a hybrid or strain.
![The-Special Cannabis Strain](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f181917434993368c962ab8/7f179e2a-7a64-424b-a966-c79008bedee6/Cannabis+Hybrid?format=750w)

## The F word
The F in F1, F2, F3, and so on is for Filial. This is an old word pertaining to son or daughter and in genetics refers to the offspring in terms of generations. An F1 generation is the First Filial Generation, the first generation of offspring from a hybrid cross. Using the The-Special [The-Special](https://bifbeans.com/cannabis-seeds/p/the-special) example, the first generation of seeds from the initial pairing of Peyote Gorilla and Angry Gorilla#2 are F1 seeds. If the breeder takes two plants grown from these F1 seeds and crosses them, the resulting seeds and plants are F2 generation[F2 generation](https://bifbeans.com/cannabis-seeds/p/ghost-toof-f2-autoflower). An F3 generation is, well, I think you get the picture.
![](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f181917434993368c962ab8/1ffff010-b11d-484d-808c-c47fbb18fab8/TYcJVgD+%281%29.jpg?format=750w)
Getting homogeneous manifestations from your seed is what genetic stability is all about.When genetics are diluted, recessive genes outnumber dominant genes. A nice cut does not always imply a good breeder. S1 is a red gummy, and all of its progeny are red.S1 the lower Gummies to see a lot of diversity. These genetics reproduce in the same way as the S1's arc of expressions. This is why we Back Cross and produce several generations such as F2/F3/F4 and so on.
![](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f181917434993368c962ab8/e552263e-ad8f-43d6-be70-53b18fd27f9a/sqTfBv6.jpg?format=750w)
## IBL
IBL stands for Inbred Line and is not a new deli sandwich option. This is what the F3 and subsequent generations deliver. IBLs should show that a strain or hybrid is approaching or has reached stability for a variety of features. True breeding, in which you can expect certain features to be constantly displayed in the progeny, is commonly referred to as this stability.
## BX
Inbreeding can concentrate both good and negative traits, which is where a BX comes in.

Back-Cross is abbreviated as BX. Back-crossing is the process of crossing an offspring plant with one of the original parent plants. Let's pretend our Prosecco [Procecco](https://bifbeans.com/cannabis-seeds/p/procecco) was an F4 is missing some characteristics from the original mother plant. If we keep a clone or pollen of the original Prosecco mother plant, we can back-cross an F4 plant with the original Prosecco mother plant. A BX1 generation would result as a result of this. If this BX1 generation doesn't have the features we're searching for, we can back-cross a BX1 plant to the Prosecco mother to reinforce the mother traits once more. This is a BX2 generation. BX2 crossing is also referred to as squaring.
### Vigor of F1 and Hybrids
When a cross is made for the first time and the parent strains are significantly distinct – an extreme example would be a pure Sativa crossed with a pure Indica – the genes in the subsequent F1 generation will be quite jumbled and varied. To avoid an in-depth discussion using more complicated words, let's just assume that this F1 generation will generate pretty uniform offspring that will grow and yield energetically. As a result, the phrase "hybrid vigor" was coined.
### Recombination with F2
The F1 generation's mixed genes will recombine to form a genetically diversified F2 generation. The F1 generation's basic homogeneity is thrown out the window. You should expect some resulting plants to appear like a Sativa, others to look like an indica, and some to be intermediate when the Sativa crosses with the indica. As evidenced by the usage of the term "surprise" in the example given in the introduction, "An F2 Afghan Safari guaranteed to surprise you!"

#### [Welcome to the Group.](https://discord.com/invite/bKG5Kj2ZdC)
Hopefully, you now have a better knowledge of the terminology you'll come across when looking for fantastic seeds to plant. "Yeah, dude, their IBL was getting tired out, so they juiced it up big time with that BX2 generation!" Go wow your friends with your new vocabulary - "Yeah, bro, their IBL was getting tired out, so they juiced it up big time with that BX2 generation!" Extend our personal invitation to join the breeders' club if they don't grasp what you're saying.