How to Choose? Open-Pollinated vs. Hybrid Varieties
Posted on February 15, 2013 by Jacob Keszey
A hybrid variety, Red Ace F1 Beets
Last week Tom introduced a discussion detailing
characteristics of hybrid seeds. As we all consider varieties
for the coming season, it is common to wonder about the
difference between hybrid and open-pollinated varieties when
choosing varieties that are right for you.
First, let’s make sure we’re all speaking the same language.
Open-pollinated varieties are those, which if properly isolated
from other varieties in the same plant species, will produce
seed that is genetically “true to type.” This means that the seed
will result in a plant very similar to the parent. Beginning in the
early 1900s, plant breeders worked to develop new openpollinated varieties, using techniques to create a more pure, and
thus uniform, genetic line. Heirloom varieties are named open-pollinated strains which either
pre-date or are unaltered by the earliest open-pollinated breeding work.
If open-pollinated varieties are allowed to cross within the same species, the resulting seed will
be a hybrid. The modern era of plant breeding started when biologists rediscovered Gregor
Mendel’s study of genetics. By the 1930s, many hybrid sweet corn varieties were available in the
US. In commercial seed production, hybrids come from the careful and deliberate crossing of
two different parent varieties, each with traits desired for the offspring. Seed from a hybrid
variety can be saved, but will not be true to type.
At High Mowing Organic Seeds, we are of the opinion that both open-pollinated and hybrid
varieties deserve a seat at the table. As discussed below, each has its benefits:
The Benefits of Open-Pollinated Varieties

Save your seed. The most obvious benefit to using open-pollinated seeds is the option to
produce one’s own seed supply. Some crops, including beans, peas, tomatoes, and
lettuce, are self-pollinating, and thus do not even require much isolation for seed saving.
Furthermore, by selecting the best plants from which to save seed, anyone can adapt
specific variety strains to their region or microclimate.

Less costly. For a number of reasons, open-pollinated seeds are invariably less
expensive than hybrid varieties. For every hybrid, there are actually two distinct lines of
genetics that must be maintained, not to mention the careful task of production, which
can get quite costly.

Flavor. Few can ignore the superior flavor of many open-pollinated varieties. Many
breeders who specialize in creating hybrid varieties for large-scale commercial growers
tend to focus on qualities other than flavor, such as storage ability, uniformity, and
characteristics more pertinent to processing. Suffice it to say that since the onset of
modern hybrid plant breeding, flavor has not been a priority. However, many newer
breeding programs, including our own, take flavor into great consideration when
selecting and refining hybrid parent lines as well as open-pollinated varieties.
The Benefit of Growing Hybrid Varieties
There’s a reason that hybrid seeds are a part of what we still call “modern plant breeding”
despite their long agricultural history. Hybrid seeds are one of the most significant advances in
seed production on record. The ability to combine the best traits of separate varieties into one
was widely considered the Holy Grail of plant genetics.

Disease Resistance. Most importantly, hybrid seeds offer superior disease resistance.
This is because, in the most basic terms, it is easier to breed disease resistance into a
hybrid than into an open-pollinated seed. It goes without saying that this is desirable for
home gardeners and commercial growers alike.

YaYa F1 Carrot, known for its uniform
shape and size.
Uniformity. Hybrid seeds offer unequaled uniformity.
Commercial growers in particular desire consistency
whenever possible. Hybrid seeds produce uniform
plants and uniform fruits. This can make cultivation
more efficient as well as provide reliability in marketing
the end product.
 Yield and vigor. Last week Tom mentioned the
value of “hybrid vigor.” This term was coined by
Charles Darwin in the 1800s to describe the increase in
overall vitality found in the offspring of two parent lines
of differing genetics. While not all crops demonstrate
the effects of hybrid vigor, for those that do, the benefits
to the grower can be significant. Yields can double,
growth rates increase, seeds emerge more vigorously,
and plants can perform better in adverse climatic
conditions.
Choose What Works for You!
We hope this furthers your knowledge and brings some clarity to the issue. Keep in mind as you
shop for the coming season that we stand behind each and every variety in our catalog, whether
open-pollinated or hybrid. Don’t be afraid to try out a couple varieties of a crop to see the
differences and chose varieties that work best for you what you need. What matters is what
works for you.
The difference between open-pollinated, heirloom, and hybrid seeds
May 02, 2012 Christy, Seed Savers Exchange
Deciding which seed to plant can be a daunting task.
The decision is often more complicated than simply trying to pick which beautiful tomatoes to
grow.
Among the more important decisions every gardener makes is the choice between openpollinated, hybrid, and heirloom seed varieties. Each of these seed types has something to offer,
depending on the gardener's needs, interests, and values.
For seed-saving purposes, the most significant distinction among these types is that gardeners
can save true-to-type seed from open-pollinated and heirloom varieties, but not hybrids.
Here are a few more distinctions that might help you decide what to grow this season:

Open-pollination is when pollination occurs by insect, bird, wind, humans, or other
natural mechanisms.
o Because there are no restrictions on the flow of pollen between individuals, openpollinated plants are more genetically diverse. This can cause a greater amount of
variation within plant populations, which allows plants to slowly adapt to local
growing conditions and climate year-to-year. As long as pollen is not shared
between different varieties within the same species, then the seed produced will
remain true-to-type year after year.

An heirloom variety is a plant variety that has a history of being passed down within a
family or community, similar to the generational sharing of heirloom jewelry or furniture.
o

An heirloom variety must be open-pollinated, but not all open-pollinated plants
are heirlooms. While some companies create heirloom labels based on dates (such
as a variety that is more than 50 years old), Seed Savers Exchange identifies
heirlooms by verifying and documenting the generational history of preserving
and passing on the seed.
Hybridization is a controlled method of pollination in which the pollen of two different
species or varieties is crossed by human intervention.
o Hybridization can occur naturally through random crosses, but commercially
available hybridized seed, often labeled as F1, is deliberately created to breed a
desired trait. The first generation of a hybridized plant cross also tends to grow
better and produce higher yields than the parent varieties due to a phenomenon
called ‘hybrid vigor’. However, any seed produced by F1 plants is genetically
unstable and cannot be saved for use in following years. Not only will the plants
not be true-to-type, but they will be considerably less vigorous. Gardeners who
use hybrid plant varieties must purchase new seed every year. Hybrid seeds can
be stabilized, becoming open-pollinated varieties, by growing, selecting, and
saving the seed over many years.
So what's it going to be—hybrid, open-pollinated, or heirloom varieties?
While hybrids have their benefits, choosing open-pollinated varieties conserves the genetic
diversity of garden vegetables and prevents the loss of unique varieties in the face of dwindling
agricultural biodiversity. Furthermore, focusing on heirloom varieties creates a historical
connection to gardening and food production, building a more sustainable future by carrying on
our garden heritage.
By choosing open-pollinated and heirloom varieties, you have the ability to help conserve
biodiversity and to contribute to the stories behind our seeds.
After reading these two articles, answer the following questions:
1. Define



Hybrid
Open-pollinated
Heirloom
2. What are the benefits of hybrids?
3. What is the value in open-pollinated or heirloom varieties?
4. Which would you choose to buy? Why?