Commercial Utility of Hybridization

Hybridization is mainly utilized to

• evolve new hybrids having beneficial heterosis

• improve / incorporate a specific desirable character so that such progenies are used in further breeding process and desirable improvement can be brought in the concerned crop.

A commercial hybrid is a hybrid, where in seeds of F₁ generation are used to grow the crop - so that heterosis is available to improve the performance of crop. The hybrids listed in Table as well as many other hybrids released in crops such as tomato, belong to a group of 'commercial hybrids'. The parents for such hybrids are carefully selected to achieve the desired heterosis. But, the seeds of commercial hybrids have to be produced every season. Because, the heterosis is not available/becomes less from second generation onwards. Hence, the seeds of both the parents have to be produced in large quantities to make hybrid seed production every season on large scale - so that hybrid seeds are produced every time.

Use of commercial hybrids invariably involves inbred plants as parents -which means parental purity is maintained by not allowing pollen from other varieties to fertilize. The success of hybrid crop and its heterosis is much dependent on purity of parents.

As against this, hybridization is commonly employed as a breeding method to transfer a specific desirable character to its progeny. The progeny may or may not have heterosis. Invariably, this process is combined with selection or back crossing to stabilize and consolidate such character. Sometimes, F₁ generation seeds are used to produce many more generations with selfing technique to concentrate the character sought to be transferred. Many crop varieties have been produced by subsequent selections or back crossing followed by selfing - although in the initial stages hybridization was adopted as a breeding method. Most wheat varieties such as Kalyan Sona and UP 301, were evolved by such methods.