What is the Difference Between Hybrid and GM Seeds

Hybrid and GM seeds are two types of seeds created by biotechnology. Plant breeding is the process of developing new plant varieties.  There are different types of breeding techniques such as inbreeding, backcrossing, hybridization, genetic engineering, and mass selection. Nowadays, hybrid and GM seeds are common in the agriculture industry. Both these seeds are better than the conventional seeds created by old breeding strategies and contribute immensely to improving genetic diversity.

The key difference between hybrid and GM seeds is their production method. Hybrid seeds are produced by genetically diverse, deliberately cross-pollinated plants, while GM seeds are created in the laboratory by inserting specific desirable genes into the genetic material of a plant.

CONTENTS

1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What are Hybrid Seeds
3. What are GM Seeds
4. Similarities – Hybrid and GM Seeds
5. Hybrid vs GM Seeds in Tabular Form
6. Summary – Hybrid vs GM Seeds
7. FAQ – Hybrid and GM Seeds

What are Hybrid Seeds?

Hybrid seeds are created by a technology known as hybridization. In hybridization technology, the hybrid seeds are produced by crossing two different varieties of the same plant. The process of crossing involves taking the pollen from the male flower parts of one plant and transferring it to the female flower parts of a different plant.

Figure 01: Hybrid Seeds

Hybrid seeds are also listed as F1 hybrid seeds or F1 types. Hybridization often takes years to complete, and it is an attempt to tease out the best genetic traits of both parent plants and transfer them into hybrid seeds. Furthermore, the plants generated from hybrid seeds have different advantages, such as disease resistance, improved flavor or productivity, and earlier maturity. However, hybrid plants are expensive to develop and can be difficult to produce.

What are GM Seeds?

GM seeds are created by a technology called gene manipulation, which involves inserting the DNA into the genome of an organism. To produce a GM plant, new DNA is transferred into plant cells. The seeds of this newly created plant are called GM seeds.

Figure 02: GM Seeds

Plants generated from GM seeds have various benefits, such as higher crop yield, resistance to pests, resistance to diseases, resistance to environmental conditions, resistance to chemical treatments, and increased profits. However, the disadvantages of GM plants include higher risks of the disruption of ecosystem and biodiversity, increased production cost, human health risks, and increased resistance to pests and toxins.

Similarities Between Hybrid and GM Seeds

1. Hybrid and GM seeds are two types of seeds that are used currently in agriculture.
2. Both these seeds are created by biotechnology.
3. Both these seeds are better than conventional plant seeds.
4. The plants produced by both these seeds have advantages such as increased disease resistance and enhanced genetic diversity.

Difference Between Hybrid and GM Seeds

Definition

1. Hybrid seeds are created by crossing two different varieties of the same plant.
2. GM seeds are created by introducing an alien gene in the seeds to get the desired effects.

Method

1. Hybrid seeds are created using a traditional method.
2. GM seeds are created using a modern method.

Technology Used

1. Hybrid seeds are produced by hybridization.
2. GM seeds are produced by genetic manipulation.

Advantages

1. Plants of hybrid seeds have traits like disease resistance, improved flavor or productivity, and earlier maturity, and support environmentally friendly agricultural practices.
2. Plants of GM seeds have traits like higher crop yield, resistance to pests, resistance to diseases, resistance to environmental conditions, resistance to chemical treatments, increased profits, and generation of more nutritious or tastier food.

Disadvantages

1. The disadvantages of hybrid plants include high cost and difficulty in production.
2. The disadvantages of GM plants include risks to the disruption of ecosystem and biodiversity, increased production cost in farming, risk to human health, and increased resistance to pests and toxins.

Examples

1. Some examples of hybrid seeds are soybean, corn, tomato, vegetables like kale, carrot, onion, etc.
2. Some examples of GM seeds are canola, rice, tomato, pink pineapple, etc.

The following table summarizes the difference between hybrid and GM seeds.

Summary – Hybrid vs GM Seeds

Hybrid and GM seeds are two types of seeds that are used in the agriculture industry. Hybrid seeds are made using a traditional method called hybridization, while GM seeds are made using a modern method called gene manipulation. Furthermore, hybrid seeds are created by crossing two different varieties of the same plant, whereas GM seeds are created by introducing an alien gene in the seeds to get the desired effects. This is the summary of the difference between hybrid and GM seeds.

FAQ: Hybrid and GM Seeds

1. What is the hybridization process in plant breeding?

• In hybridization, cross-pollination is done by using viable pollen and receptive stigma. In this process, the pollen from the male flower parts of one plant is taken and transferred to the female flower parts of a different plant.

2. What are the disadvantages of hybrid seeds?

• Hybrid seeds are expensive to develop and can be difficult to produce. Although all plants of the F1 generation can have desired traits, the offspring of future generations will not all have those traits. Moreover, some hybrid plants generated from hybrid seeds may be infertile and unable to produce offspring.

3. What is the purpose of genetic manipulation?

• Genetic engineering aims to modify genes to enhance the capabilities of the organism beyond its normal level. This method is based on transferring DNA directly into a cell.

4. How to identify GMO seeds?

• Two testing methods are considered to be the most effective for detecting GMO seeds. They are DNA-based and protein-based methods. DNA-based GMO testing analyzes the genome for the presence of a genetic modification, while protein-based method analyzes the gene product or protein.

5. Are GMO seeds good or bad?

• There is no data to indicate that the consumption of foods generated from GMO seeds is bad for human health. But there may be unintended consequences such as toxicity, allergic reactions, antibiotic resistance, immuno-suppression, cancer, and loss of nutrition.

Reference:

1. “Hybrid Seed – An Overview.”  ScienceDirect Topics.
2. Thomas, Carolyn. “GMO Seeds: What the Home Gardener Needs to Know.” Homesteading Family.

Image Courtesy:

1. “Jatropha hybrid seed (7425001788)” By Ton Rulkens from Mozambique – Jatropha hybrid seedUploaded by Jacopo Werther (CC BY-SA 2.0) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “GMO soybeans” By taken from room 202 (CC BY 2.0) via Flickr

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