Bonehead said:How does one determine if a hybrid is stable or not?
An F1 hybrid is stable if the subsequent generations of interbreeding resemble it. These generations are called F2, F3 and so forth. The offspring of an F1 plant crossed with another F1 plant is F2. If the F2 generation resembles the F1 generation, the hybrid is stable. Over many generations of interbreeding (each season would be one iteration) there is quite a bit of shaking of the genetic dice, and many opportunities for some of the offspring to change. I suspect that much of the F1 hybrid seed available for sale out there is known not to breed true, which helps ensure its money-making ability down the road.
