Grape Tomato Question

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Bryanpl Vancouver, BC Feb 12, 2006

Was going to pick up a packet of grape tomato seeds. The vendor states "Open-pollinated strain of grape tomato with excellent quality". Will the plant reliably produce the particular variety of tomato's, or will it be a surprise as to what the plant produces. I am a bit confused between the difference between hybrids" and "open pollination " seeds.

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CindyDale Saint Petersburg, FL(Zone 9b) Feb 12, 2006

Open pollinated means the plants will produce seed that you can save and plant to produce plants true to the parent so long as you don't accidentally cross-pollinate your tomato with a different cultivar of tomato while it is in bloom.

You can't do that with hybrids - they won't breed true to the parent because the parents were cross pollinated themselves.

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Farmerdill Augusta, GA(Zone 8a) Feb 12, 2006

no surprises. Op's are stable cultivars that reproduce (when you save seeds) reasonably true. The hybrids are seeds from plants that are carefully cross pollinated. Example tomato X is open pollinated. when you save and plant seeds you expect more tomato X. Does not always happen, because of chance pollination or mutation, but you reasonably expect tomato X. But if I a want a tomato with some characteristics of X and some of Y, Then I cross pollinate X with Y and get the hybrid Z. Now Z may be the perfect tomato, but if I save seed and plant those seeds, I will get some X, some Y and some Z. I have to recreate Z every generation, which accounts for the higher cost of hybrid seed.

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Bryanpl Vancouver, BC Feb 13, 2006

Thanks everyone. Starting to make sense now. Should have kept both eyes open in high school biology.

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LooneyLinda Mantua, UT(Zone 4b) Feb 17, 2006

Farmerdill - Thanks. That was the most understadable explanation of hybrids I have heard.

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melody Benton, KY(Zone 7a) Feb 17, 2006

To add just a bit to what Farmerdill said with the X, Y and Z tomatoes...with patience and care, you can stabilize the hybrid 'Z'. to an open pollinated form.

After crossing X and Y...you get the Z tomatoes...that is the F1 generation. If you save the seeds from Z and plant them out, you get Z, X and Y...plus a few 'in betweens' too. That is F2 generation.

By saving the Z seeds from the fruits that have the characteristics that you want and planting them, you will get a mix of types again, but hopefully, a few more of the Z type that you like.

By culling out the off types each year and only saving the seeds from one type 'Z', in roughly 5 to 8 years, you'll be getting plants that only exhibit the traits from the Z plant that you like.

You'll have to plant 20 or 30 plants each year to be assured of getting the one type of plant that you are breeding for, but it's a neat experiment if you have the time, space and the inclination to do so.

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