• Daft_ish@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    I don’t get this statement. Like is there some ancient pepper plant that all seeds come from?

    • fireweed@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      From PSU:

      It is important to know that not all vegetable varieties are suitable for seed saving. If the variety you want to save is a hybrid, seeds from that plant will not produce genetically true fruits. Most likely, the plant will produce a fruit that resembles one of the plants used to create that hybrid. To avoid this, choose heirloom varieties, ones that have been around since grandma’s time or earlier. […] Heirlooms will produce offspring that are identical to the parent.

      https://extension.psu.edu/saving-seeds-from-your-garden

    • ricecake@sh.itjust.works
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      1 year ago

      Cloning plants is a thing people have been doing for a long time, and is one popular way to get good produce.
      You also take a set of carefully selected plants and carefully breed them to get a plant that has the desired profile. It’s the deliberate nature that results in a better food, not “not being a replant”.

      Pollinators don’t care which plants they combine, so the natural way often produces a fruit that isn’t as good as a food crop.
      It’s the real reason most farmers aren’t actually super into reusing seed. It typically results in a lower quality yield.