What Does Hybrid Mean?
A hybrid is a unique variety of plant that is produced by cross-pollinating two related species.
Hybrids are quite popular in the cannabis industry, when growers cross-breed sativas and indicas, for example, but are common in general agriculture crops as well. In fact, almost any two compatible species can produce a hybrid, but a hybrid plant is unable to reproduce itself.
Most often hybrids are the intentional breeding by humans for improved varieties, but it can also take place naturally.
Maximum Yield Explains Hybrid
Most often, a hybrid plant is the result of the intentional breeding of two or more varieties to produce a superior offspring to the parent plants. The development of hybrids is common for horticultural purposes and has several advantages.
One variety may be known for extraordinary flavor but with very little disease resistance, and another very hardy but has a more bland taste. The two varieties may be cross-pollinated in order to create a hybrid offspring with both desirable traits. Hybrids can be produced to have a different growth habit, tolerate harsher conditions, or, specifically in the case of marijuana plants, to produce a more favorable/desirable high.
In cannabis culture, a hybrid strain is often described as being "sativa-dominant" or "indica-dominant". This is important for medicinal users who are looking for a particular outcome from ingesting the hybrid.
The cross-pollination and creation of hybrids of dioecious plants where reproduction takes place between two separate plants is a little more complex, but still achievable and a regular part of horticulture science.
Reproduction of hybrid plants must be done through stem cuttings, tissue culture, or continued cross-pollination as the seeds of the offspring are sterile.
The development of hybrids is quite common and relatively simple for the self-pollinating grass families of plants like grain, corn or sweet corn. In the case of the corn family, the tassel portion that produces pollen is removed and the silk female portion of the plant is manually pollinated with pollen from another variety.
