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If only it were that simple.... Koi are the product of their genetic potential, random chance and their environment. Cloning only gives you the genetic potential.
Pattern is often what draws your eye to a particular koi, and pattern is a combination of genetic code and random chance. Identical twins don't have freckles in the same places, pigment cell distribution is a partially random phenomena.
This board and any other source of information on koi should make clear the importance of environment on the development of individual koi. The skill is not in picking koi, it is in letting them reach their potential.
Cloning would be a useful tool for investigating the effect of water chemistry or diet on color development - it could also be used to evaluate the effect of growth rate and temperature on long-term survival. As such it could be a valuable tool in improving our understanding of optimal husbandry. Unfortunately, the cost involved in mass production of clones is still prohibitive. (Which might not be a bad thing.)
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Lynne in St. Louis
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