Many people may wonder why all of the hullabaloo with “open-pollinated” and “heirloom” plants versus hybrids. They all grow food don’t they? It all eventually comes down to reproducibility and food security. Bear with me while I explain why hybrid seeds destroy your freedom as a consumer and as a gardener. I try not to delve into hyperbole when it comes to the issue, but it becomes difficult not to given the ramifications of the problem. But before I go into that, some definitions on what types of plants I am talking about. Open-pollinated (OP) plants are plants that follow the course of nature. They are pollinated by whatever means they use, whether it is by wind, insect, etc. Seeds from these plants remain true to their type season after season, with genetic variability to allow for local adaptations to weather, water needs, soil, and other factors. Most importantly, they are fertile. Heirloom plants are OP plants that have a long genetic history, in much the same way that a family has a long genetic history. Many companies will not call a plant an heirloom unless it is at least 50 years old. Heirlooms often have specific growing requirements based on their breeding. This is obvious in heirloom tomatoes. Some tomatoes are for cold weather, some for hot. Some for slicing, some for canning or sauce. Hybrid plants are a product of people crossing two varieties to gain a specific result. I am not speaking of natural, random variation or crossing of genetics as would occur in nature. Commercial hybrids are an altogether different thing. People grow hybrids because of “hybrid vigor,” a phenomenon where the hybrid offspring often performs better than the parents. That is fine. All OP plants originally came from hybrids. However, you cannot save seeds from commercial hybrids or create OP varieties from them. They will not breed true like an OP variety. Most hybrids are bred to be sterile on purpose. Hybrids are the overwhelming majority for people to buy and grow in their gardens. In fact, it can be incredibly difficult to find non-hybrid seeds of some vegetables even on the internet. Broccoli is notoriously tricky because of this. This is where the destruction of freedom enters the equation. You cannot save seeds from hybrids. If you use hybrids, you are fully dependent on the commercial seed companies to provide them to you. Think about this. Consider if you grew your garden to eat, not just for pleasure, and if you did not have your garden, you would starve. Consider that you cannot save seeds from hybrids. You are at the mercy of the seed company. It is perfectly logical economically. A company wants to keep you buying from them. They do not want you to be able to save your own seeds; that means you do not have to buy from them in the future. See the problem? They do not care about whether you starve if something goes wrong. They care about your money. There is no love of humanity in their business plan. Someone may ask, “But you can stabilize a hybrid over time and make it work for you.” I could make the argument that fifty years ago, you could do this with some success. However, let me introduce you to something called CMS “cytoplasmic male sterility.” CMS is where a sterile female is crossed with a fertile male to produce sterile offspring. You have made a mule. A mule is a dead-end. You cannot breed a mule. It is sterile. If you want another mule, you have to go get a donkey and a horse. But what if you do not have a donkey and a horse? Well, when your mule dies, you no longer have a mule. This is how the seed companies of today operate with almost everything they sell. They only sell mules so you have to keep buying them. They copyrighted all of the horses and donkeys, forcing you to buy their patented mules every year. Can you see how that removes your freedom and food security? What if someone shoots your mule? You don’t eat. What if your mule gets disease and doesn’t produce anything? You don’t eat. Not only that, you don’t even have a good selection of mules. It is altogether insulting. We as consumers and gardeners need to return to OP plants. Plants we can save seeds from and get away from the trap of commercial seed companies.
But there is another danger in hybrids, different than not being able to produce fertile seeds. They are genetically homogeneous. Why is that a problem? It represents a huge risk to you as a gardener, especially if you depend on your garden for your food. Let’s say you have ten “Better Boy” tomato plants. They are all equally susceptible to the same diseases, pests, and problems. If something bad happens, it happens to all of them. You no longer have tomato plants. You are, to be frank, ruined. That is the stuff that leads to famine, starvation, and poverty. There is a chance you may have a better yield than somebody else, but you also run the risk of complete destitution. However, if you have an OP variety, there is some genetic variability between seeds, even ones taken from the same mother. There are small differences in tolerance and resistant. Over time, they can adapt to your climate and needs as you save seeds from the best plants. You can breed a plant that will always perform for you, reducing risk of food shortage and plant death. Even if some do poorly, others will survive to feed you and your family. A CMS hybrid can never offer you that. As permaculturists, we strive for the food security and freedom of our communities. CMS hybrids have no place in anything we do. They are a mockery. My next article will be about breeding plants that will always perform for you. It is called “landracing” and it is an extremely powerful tool for you to achieve food security, peace, and freedom. Comments are closed.
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Rebecca Burrow
I am a Christian permie designer trying to spread the word about Christian land stewardship through permaculture. I like goats a lot. Maaaaaaaah. Archives
September 2016
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Burrow Permaculture Consulting | Permie Blog |