1. no
2. they hand pollinate to different variety with each other and make sure the plant can not pollinate it's self.
3. Lost of cross between varieties till something of interest is found.

This question is more theoretical than practical, but I'm curious about saving hybrid seeds. I understand that Lemon Boy is a hybrid, and that saving seeds will not produce true Lemon Boys.

******

Bart, just so you know, there are two versions of Lemon Boy in circulation. One is a hybrid and the other is a genetically dehybridized OP.

(My question is, if I only grew Lemon Boy and no other tomatoes would the saved seeds be true Lemon Boy? I think the answer is no.)

If you grew the OP version and there was no X pollination and no mutations the saved seeds would be true.

If you grew the hybrid version you probably would get different plants with fruits similar to but not the same as the F1 hybrid when you planted out the saved F2 seeds.

(My second question is how do seed companies get seeds for these hybrid varitites? Where do they come from?!?!)

Huge question Bart, but seed production for hybrids involves usually two breeding lines and the last selection in one breeding line is crossed with the last selection in the other breeding line to give the F1 plants and fruits with F1 hybrid seeds. The female recipient blossoms are emasculated to remove the pollen bearing anthers so that no self pollenization can occur.

More recently some modern hybrids are made using male sterile female recipients, which negates the need to manually remove the corolla with the pollen bearing anthers.

I'd have to look up to see when lemon Boy F1 was released b'c if it was one of the earliest of F1's released there may be only two parents, as is true with Better Boy, Big Boy, Ramapo and many more.

Carolyn

Bart, learn by doing!

Save the seeds, grow them out and see what you get. The results may surprise you.

Thanks everyone!

Trudi - sounds interesting, but I was just wondering how they got hybrid seeds if you couldn't save them the easy way.

but I was just wondering how they got hybrid seeds if you couldn't save them the easy way.

*****

Bart, was my explanantion of how F1 hybrid seed was produced OK, or do you have questions still and want me to say more?

Carolyn

Carolyn -
Your explanation was just fine. I was just trying to explain the source of my question to Trudi.

Thanks again,
Bart

Bart there is profit in stability.

Hybrids can be, and often are, OPs.

They are created by combining known stable lines, and with a culling/roguing process to remove off-plants, the remaining plants are self-bred; the culling/roguing can continue for a few generations until the plants reproduce truly at an acceptable percentage.

So, as I say, save some seeds and grow them out to see what you get. Learn by Doing. You are far better off to see what happens with your own eyes than to ever take anyone's advice as gospel. You learn better, you understand more, and you come away from the experince with a profound knowledge of it.

Learn by Doing!

Here is a link that might be useful: hybrid seed

Hybrids can be, and often are, OPs...

Trudi come on. That is just not true.

Reg

Trudi Quote:
"You are far better off to see what happens with your own eyes"

Bart, If you are to follow Trudi's advise this is a long process, indeed. You haven't included your zone with your user name so I don't know where you live but it seems to me it would be faster if you lived where there are 2 crops a year of tomato growing rather than just one like in my zone 5. But if you have the time and patience no harm in a little curiosity. :)

I'll stand firm Reg. There is profit in stability.

I'll stand firm Reg. There is profit in stability...

Trudi seems to me you believe in mystical things that somehow pan out. I do not.

Respectfully,
Reg