They aren't trying to change the name of the morph. They are trying to use "diffuse" as the name of the mutant that diffuses the pattern in blood reds.



As I understand it, blood red is a selected, inbred line of North Florida corns that are a very dark-red color and have the pattern less obvious than normal. The pattern part seems to be a single mutant. The red coloration is from selection, according to McEachern's Color Morphs booklet from the early 1990s. In other words, it's not hard to outbreed and then get the pattern mutant back. It is much harder to outbreed and then get the color back. Even in an outcross x blood red mating, there will be a range of colors in the babies, with few to none as good as the blood red parent. So you are trying to get the blood red's color and pattern back while including the greater vigor of the outcross. This is MUCH harder than, say, mating two het amelanistics and getting some amelanisitic babies.



Which helps to understand why the price of a good-looking blood red is still high.



Paul Hollander

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