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)

Open-pollinated varieties tend to breed true, so seeds saved from them will generally produce plants that resemble the parent. This happens because their genetics are stable across generations when pollination occurs naturally and without deliberate cross-breeding. Hybrids are created by crossing two distinct parent lines to capture desirable traits in the first generation (the F1). However, the seeds from a hybrid don’t reliably carry the same gene combination, so the offspring (the next generation) can show a mix of traits and may not resemble the parent hybrid. That’s why saving seeds from open-pollinated varieties gives predictable results, while saving seeds from hybrids is unpredictable. For consistent results, save seeds from open-pollinated varieties; with hybrids, you typically replant new hybrid seed each season to get the same traits.