Hybrid varieties of flowers and vegetables have assumed more and more importance in seed catalogs over the years. Why this is so is easy to see if we have some understanding of genetics and plant breeding. Hybrid field corn varieties were the first to come on the market.

Then came sweet corn, and as time went on we have had an increasing list of flowers and vegetables available in hybrid form. There are hybrid varieties of sweet corn, squash, tomatoes, watermelons, eggplants, onions, snapdragons, petunias and others.

What is a hybrid? It is simply the first generation of seed that has come as a result of crossing two or more varieties, strains, or inbred selections.

What advantage is gained in using hybrids? Most hybrids have remarkable uniformity of plant type, flower color, form, and other characteristics. They also show a phenomenon known as hybrid vigor. Many are more floriferous, the plants more vigorous and often more disease resistant than their original parents and possibly other open-pollinated varieties. In vegetables, frequently the hybrid is considerably better yielding than its parents.

We must recognize, however, that hybrids do have varying adaptability. Some may do well in your area, others may not. Using a hybrid variety does not guarantee superior results over using the regular varieties in your locality. Seed of hybrid varieties is quite a lot more expensive.

Many plants are increased vegetatively – that is, they are not normally grown from seed. They are propagated by division, by increasing from bulblets, cuttings, cloning or other means. In other words, a part of an established plant is used in propagation. If we were to grow these plants from true seed, instead of from vegetative parts, the plants coming up would vary a great deal in all characteristics. That is, our vegetatively propagated plants are hybrid in genetic make-up.

Some gardeners have the idea that, for example, if a row of red glads were planted beside a row of pink glads, eventually the planting would turn one color or the other. As long as the gardener keeps separate the identity of the corms of the red and pink varieties, he will retain each color intact. Perhaps at harvest time he would find that eventually one color might predominate, because one or the other of these varieties multiplied faster. But it does not occur as a result of crossing!

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