Re: Saving seeds from Hybrids
>Although Tomato seeds are normally self-pollinated, you could have had some
>fruit pollinated by bees who brought in pollen from other tomato plants.
>
>Sungold is a hybrid variety (F1) so it's not predictable what the progeny
>will be like. Some may resemble the original plant but others may revert
>back to one of the parents of Sungold. That's the problem with trying to
>collect seed from hybrids. It could be that your neighbour just got lucky
>with the few plants that came up.
>
>Dehybridizing can be done but it usually takes about 7 generations before
>the seed that you collect produces a stable line. Until then, you can have
>all kinds of variations pop up.
Hi,
Yes, but the point I was trying to make and that I found interesting is
that all the plants from the seed-saving efforts were true -- only my
volunteers were unstable.
As for the neighbor (not a next-door neighbor -- it's actually a good
five-minute walk to her house), she has been getting the most delicious Sun
Golds for at least five years that I know.
From what you say, I suppose it is possible that the original plants had
already been "dehybridized".
Pat
