Filial Generations

The offsprings of a hybrid is called filial generation. The first filial generation after hybridization is called F₁.

The seeds obtained from F₁ hybrid could be used to grow second filial generation (F₂) hybrid. The generations could be continued. But, if a hybrid is crossed with one of its parents it is called back crossing.

In second and subsequent filial generations, the hybrid vigour gradually disappears. Further, the characters expressed in F₁ hybrid are not maintained and large variations are observed in subsequent generations. This is termed as Seggregation.