Natural Outbreeding Crops Produce Hybrid Seeds, While Repeated Self-Pollination Produces Inbred Lines From These Crops

Hybrid Seeds

Cross-pollinated plants produce seed in agriculture and gardening. In modern agriculture and home gardening, hybrid seed production is prevalent. It was a major contributor to the dramatic increase in agricultural output during the latter half of the twentieth century. Open pollination and clonal propagation are alternatives to hybridization. The farmer's Hybrid Seeds will all produce similar plants, but the seeds of the next generation from those hybrids will not always have the desired characteristics. Because they are created by crossing two inbred strains, controlled hybrids have very uniform characteristics. Elite inbred strains with well-documented and consistent phenotypes (such as high crop yield) that are relatively good for inbred plants are used.

Hybrids are selected to improve the characteristics of the resulting plants, such as yield, uniformity, colour, and disease resistance. The Hybrid Seeds Market combining ability of the parent plants is an important factor. Crossing any two inbred strains may or may not produce superior offspring. The parent strains used are thus carefully chosen in order to achieve both the uniformity that comes from parent uniformity and the superior performance that comes from heterosis.

Disease resistance, improved flavour or productivity, earlier maturity, and other characteristics are common in hybrid varieties. Different traits are desirable for various crops. In general, Hybrid Seeds can be expected to produce more than open pollinated seeds. However, some open pollinated varieties are so beloved for their flavour or other characteristics that their seeds are passed down from generation to generation, becoming heirloom seeds. When a hybrid tomato, for example, bears fruit, the seeds within those fruits will contain genetic material from both, or either, of the parent plants. As a result, their characteristics will be less predictable. Open pollinated varieties are a better choice for people who like to save seeds from year to year.