Fred, some varieties are very complex, possibly Sungold, but for basics, 2 plants are crossed (pollen from 1 variety fertilizes the ovaries of the 2nd variety,) and the seeds are saved from those fruits. The seeds are F1. To keep the F1 variety available, the process must be done to have seeds--you can't take seeds from the F1 (they'd be F2 seeds, which usually would give different results.)

So it is often done manually, often in foreign countries where labor is cheaper. That is also why hybrid seeds usually cost more than open-pollinated varieties--the work involved.

Hope this helps.

Mark

Fred,

Breeders who create hybrid tomatoes for us, by crossing two open pollinated parent tomato cultivars, maintain breeding lines of those parent tomatoes for use in making the crosses. The parent lines carry the genes that the breeders wish to infuse into the hybrid to obtain the growth habits, fruit traits, disease tolerance and vigor exhibited by the F1 plant.

Here is a link to a Webpage I think explains the process clearly: Hybrid Seed Production

Bill

Thanks for the replies.
Bill
Your link is what I was looking for,(although I have not read all of it yet). I never realized a tomato could be so interesting.
Perhaps I have progressed a bit from buying store bought plants to where I am now. I didn't buy any plants this season,just seeds, and not very many.

Sprager,

I would've posted a link to another Webpage that gives a simpler explanation also with drawings of the tomato flower structure, etc., but I don't have it stored on my favorites here at home yet ... new computer.

Anyway, another KCMO tomato grower who posts here as Hortist maintains that great Webpage and others that you will find very interesting and rewarding. He should chime in with that link if he reads this thread.

The fact that you are growing from seed and express an interest in hybrid seed production makes me think you should contact Hortist as he has developed several very interesting lines of beautiful tomatoes from his own original custom hybrid crosses.

Good luck this summer, Bill

Sprager,

Here is a link to that other Webpage about hybrid tomato seed production that I was speaking about: Crossing Tomatoes .

And here is a link to the entire Website: On Line Tomato Vine .

I think you'll find a lot of useful stuff there especially since it's written by another KCMO tomatoman.

Good growing and best of luck with your hybrid crosses.

Bill