What is the difference between open-pollinated and hybrid seed saving?

What is the difference between open-pollinated and hybrid seed saving?

• A. Open-pollinated varieties tend to breed true; saving seeds from hybrids may not breed true.
• B. Hybrids may not breed true; save seeds from open-pollinated varieties for reliable offspring.
• C. Open-pollinated varieties cannot be saved; seeds are sterile.
• D. Hybrids always breed true; open-pollinated do not.

Answer: (A)

The main idea is how seed-saving outcomes differ based on how a variety was bred. Open-pollinated varieties are selected so that seeds saved from the plant reliably reproduce plants with the same characteristics, allowing gardeners to grow the same variety again and again with predictable results. Hybrids, created by crossing two distinct varieties to combine desirable traits, produce seeds that carry a mix of genes. The offspring from those seeds often don’t resemble the original hybrid, so saving seeds from a hybrid usually yields plants with different traits and less reliability. That’s why open-pollinated varieties tend to breed true, while seeds from hybrids may not. You can still save seeds from hybrids, but expect variability and the need to replant the same hybrid seed to maintain those traits.