hybrid vigor

[abc123]

I watched a show last night called Modern Marvels and this episode was about corn. I found out why farmers have to buy seed every year instead of just taking seeds from their crops.....

Hybrid Vigor

To those of you who are familiar with this, I have a question. If an inbred plant is crossed with another inbred plant, and the result is a hybrid with all of the qualities a grower is after, AND the plant shows hybrid vigor, will a clone of this plant also exhibit hybrid vigor?

And if so, will it continue indefinately through cloning to exhibit hybrid vigor?

Also, what determines whether hybrid vigor occurs in a plant? Is inbreeding necessary before hybrid vigor will occur?

Will AaBbCcDd x AaBbCcDd result in hybrid vigor? Or does it have to be
AAbbCCdd x aaBBccDD ?

[bombbudpuffa]

From my understanding, 2 strains that differ a lot will have offspring that will show hybrid vigor. For example, pure sativa x pure indica will produce offspring that show hybrid vigor.

[Hick]

I think that 'hybrid vigor' can be expressed anytime that unrelated, genetics are combined. Most often in the first generation/fillia. Once 'inbreeding' starts, hybrid vigor is lost, I believe.
I found out why farmers have to buy seed every year instead of just taking seeds from their crops.
I didn't see the article, BUT.."IMHO"...it is only due to the huge corporations diligent work to produce baren/non-viable/sterile plants, that is reason to buy every year.
IF..they had invested the time, resources and money into producing a crop that would breed true and stable, farmers 'could' produce their own seed. But that would take $$$ outta' the corprate pocket...;)

[abc123]

So am I safe in assuming that if a plant expresses hybrid vigor, and it is cloned, that plant too will express hybrid vigor? Seems that it should, but just want to understand all of this correctly. I am as much a hobby scientist as a gardener and I can't decide what I like better, figuring out how to grow the best strains, or smoking them :)

[Hick]

yep..a "clone" or cutting is an "exact" genetic duplicate of the donor..