this post was submitted on 02 Jul 2024
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True Hybrids (F1) will be identical. But the catch is that you can’t have a “true hybrid f1” if your parent lines are not true breeding. Usually this involves selfing the parental lines 6+ times to obtain purebred (all genes the same allele) lines.
Lots of breeders are loose with that step, so you can occasionally get some variation in your F1. But that’s usually because selfing 2 parents 6+ times, then making the hybrid cross is at least 7 generations. In an annual crop, or even biannual (onion/carrot) this can take 7-14 years.
You've underestimated it by a bit. It takes 2-3 generations to increase the inbred seed quantities after selfing. So figure 20 years. Plus the female line takes 5 generations to create so another 10 years (onion hybrid seed production requires 3 lines: Male, maintainer & female - the female has cytoplasmic male sterility). All together it used to take 30 years to create a new female line.
Today onions are self-pollinated traditionally for 2 generations, then double-haploids are produced. It takes another 2-3 generations to create the female line with marker-assisted back-crossing. It takes 2-3 generations to create enough parent seed to produce commercial hybrids. So say 12-16 years now for a female line. 10 years for the male and maintainer.
Hahaha!
I was trying to keep it simple enough to answer OP about vegetables in general. But you are correct with regard to onions. I actually work for a vegetable breeding company, but I try to stay vague enough to protect my anonymity. It’s a pretty small word in the plant breeding community. (Even smaller in veg seeds specifically.)
You know your stuff, so I’ll have to assume you work for one of our competitors. And based on nothing other than assumptions made in bad faith, I will now consider you my lemmy nemesis.
Edit: wait… it’s somehow BOTH of our cake days? Are you actually me?
LEMMISIS! Next summer at a greenhouse near you! :::inception bwaah sound::::