it is shaken from the flowers and stored under refrigeration to keep it fresh until ready to use. Field workers then remove the anthers-the male organ-from these tomato flowers to prevent the tomato from self-pollinating.įlowers are then collected from other, "male" plants of the same variety and these flowers are dried on screens set out in the sun. These "females" are staked for easy identification when pollinating and harvesting. A breeder will designate some tomatoes to be the female plant. male and female plants The Story of a Tomato HybridĪ tomato flower has both female and male parts. In the case of some hybrids, cucumbers and squash, for example. The process is not complicated but, for some varieties. Each year the Burpee growers must cross-pollinate the same parents and harvest new seed to achieve the same superior results. All hybrids are so noted on seed packs, and The offspring from a hybrid revert to resemble the parentage, so saving seed from hybrids is not recommended. Hybrid seeds are produced by crossing two different parents, and will grow only one generation of plants. Hybrid varieties are particularly easy to grow and harvest, and there are many wonderful varieties available at good prices. The answer is that hybrid seeds are more expensive to produce than open-pollinated varieties. At Burpee we are frequently asked why some seeds are more expensive than others.
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