[QUOTE=PureHarvest;522274]Very good info Travis.
I guess I assumed that good breeders had really stable lines that would work for crossing.
So you would ideally start with those and grow out to get parent lines?[/QUOTE]

"Good" is a subjective adjective.

Yes, the professional breeders upon whose hybrid seed you can depend for consistency maintain fully standardized, stable true breeding lines from which they produce their F1 hybrid seeds. Hopefully, this is true of the commercial breeders who now are producing these so-called "heritage hybrids" or "heirloom hybrids" where they take two well respected heirloom or heritage tomato varieties and cross them for the specialty or fad market.

Many hobby breeders simply cross two parent plants from among their annual garden crop, and see what comes out of the cross. Sometimes their choices of parents are carefully planned based upon research of each parent's genetics. Other times the cross is based purely on visually appealing characteristics, flavor, or even currently popular attributes like anthocyanin colored fruit or striped skin, etc.

I've done it based upon any number of characteristics, from year to year, lately based upon heat setting ability, background disease resistance, compact growth habits, crack resistance, smooth/scar free appearance, high yield, and yes, flavor and color variations are something I strive to achieve. One of my most interesting crosses was done several years ago based upon Keith Mueller's suggestion that I cross the two varieties I had which were the most different from each other. That was a real project for a while, I tell you.

I do not intend to replicate F1 hybrid seed year after year. That is not even a consideration when I cross tomatoes. So, I really cannot say much more than I already have regarding annual production of hybrid tomato seed that reliably replicates the original. If you want to get more professional info, I would seek it from people like Dr. Randy Gardner, Dr. Jay Scott, and Mark McCaslin. Fred Hempel also can give you very exact info on what is expected of a person who wishes to produce hybrid seed for commercial sale.

I'm only a hobby breeder for backyard fun and entertainment. What I do is make the initial cross, then select what I find to be the best examples of what I am after from among the subsequently segregating and recombining selfed individuals, generation after generation.

I would think that commercial breeders of F1 seed would not take chances with seed-grown parent plants. I would say they would absolutely use clones to reproduce the parent plants for 100% consistency in the F1 seed they produce.
That said, it is not hard to clone (reproduce from cuttings )tomatoes, especially if you live in a warm climate and can easily keep plants from season to season in a greenhouse.
Sort of like the caramilk secret, It's really not magic...
KarenO

[QUOTE=KarenO;522465]
Sort of like the caramilk secret, It's really not magic...
KarenO[/QUOTE]
You would think they got it cold and then coated it with the chocolate.:)

Worth

What I often wondered is, what happens to the parental lineage tomatoes once they have done their jobe.
Do any of them ever get eaten? I mean...
When the final cross is made, does the flower from which the male pollen donor is produced, ever get the chance to grow into a full ripe fruit? Or is it off to the compost?

[QUOTE=Worth1;522480]You would think they got it cold and then coated it with the chocolate.:)

Worth[/QUOTE]

;) maybe so

Anyway, I never grow the same plants two years in a row except my own anyway and those are still segregating so it's always a surprise. I like surprises so the faultless sameness if F1's are not my cup of tea
K

[QUOTE=KarenO;522465]I would think that commercial breeders of F1 seed would not take chances with seed-grown parent plants. I would say they would absolutely use clones to reproduce the parent plants for 100% consistency in the F1 seed they produce.
KarenO[/QUOTE]
It's my impression most F1 hybrid tomato seed producers use seed started breeding line plants, rather than clones, to produce F1 seed. There is a significant trade in pure breeding line seed between the universities who create the breeding lines and the companies who produce the F1 hybrid seed.

Ok. I am not a F1 afficianado. Very little commercial F1 seed for any vegetable is produced in quantity in the US or Canada due to labour costs. China, Taiwan, Mexico, Chile, are the Main producers of commercially available F1 garden seeds. I do not know their methods. I imagine whatever is cheapest is their method most likely.
In any event, I still say do what you want Pure Harvest if it is for your own use and have fun.
KarenO