Yes but the risk of degradation is bigger.
However it IS very small just as you say. The good thing is you don't have to keep a mother but the bad thing is that you need to keep clones for a long time while the last crop go through bloom to harvest so I think a mother is safer both from a genetic standpoint and for workload reasons.
Also you get a very uniform grow when all plants have exactly the same genetics.
Anyway, lets get back on topic (after a very interesting discussion I might add).

Any input is welcome on:
The best way of keeping a motherplant and to take clones from it to keep it a stable source of clones over time.