Plant hybridization, should we be wary of it?

Hybridization is sometimes scary. But is it really necessary to fear it and is it really possible to avoid consuming hybrid plants?

Hybridization, a technique far from modern

If we go back a few years, 16,000 to be more precise, or at the time of the Neolithic revolution ¹ , we see that from that moment man began a certain form of hybridization. By selecting certain species and varieties of plants, it creates proximity between them and facilitates natural hybridization. It is of course later that a slightly more voluntary hybridization will take place. Also, selection gives way to the beginnings of plant evolution influenced by humans.

What is this ?

Hybridization is simply the crossing of two varieties ² of the same species ³ or two different species. Many specialists believe that hybridization is the very essence of biodiversity. By creating new specimens, new ecological opportunities also arise.

Natural hybridization

Although humans have unwittingly stimulated hybridization for so many years, nature has been practicing it on its own for much longer. This is called pollination! And yes, this technique whereby pollen from one flower is deposited on another flower and thus fertilizes it. Pollination is done, among other things, by several insects and birds and by the wind.

The distance separating plant individuals and their appearance are two major criteria which, however, slow down natural hybridization.

Artificial hybridization

It was later, around the 18th century, that man began to cross plant varieties and species. You guessed it, artificial hybridization is done with the care of human hands. It is a manipulation between two individuals requiring the transfer of pollen from one to the other.

Humans practice hybridization for different reasons. To create new varieties is the most obvious. But, this process of cross-fertilization is also in the interest of the farmer who can thus benefit from a hybrid that is stronger and more resistant than its parents.

When there is hybridization between two different species, most of the time it is a question of human manipulation. Take the example of rapeseed, a cross between a variety of cabbage and a turnip.

A few words about evolution

If today we can enjoy a very soft banana or a seedless orange, it is thanks to human action. Indeed, ancient species of plants are very different from what we are used to seeing in the grocery store or even in our gardens. Man, over time, has been able to select the varieties or individuals that he likes the most. Taste, texture, color and even culture have been 'improved' over time. This is why the famous Heirloom tomato looks and tastes so different. It’s a very tasty ancestral variety!

Difference between hybridization and GMO ⁴

The difference at first glance may perhaps seem non-existent, especially in the case of artificial hybridization. After all, it requires human handling. But the two techniques couldn't be more different!

By definition, a GMO is a living organism that has undergone genetic modification in order to provide it with a new property. A hybrid, although it may be hardier, does not possess any qualities that would not have belonged to either parent. Unlike the process of creating a GMO which requires the use of a mutagenic agent ⁵ , hybridization requires nothing other than two fertile parents.

For example, a potato that has the ability not to brown is a GMO. She was gifted with this new quality which should not have belonged to her variety or species.

Hybrids on my plate!

By combining the evolution of plants over millennia and hybridization, natural or artificial, rest assured that you consume it quite often! But this is not negative, quite the contrary. Hybridization allows you to have a greater variety of plants in your diet. And what is variety if not the basis of natural health?

Here are some common examples:

• There clementine : the hybrid of orange and tangerine
• Romanesco: the hybrid of broccoli and cauliflower
• The pluot: the hybrid of plum and apricot
• Tangelo: the hybrid of pomelo and tangerine

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1- The Neolithic revolution was the very first agricultural revolution. This is the moment when the first hunter-gatherer communities quietly shifted towards agriculture and a sedentary lifestyle. This revolution took place, depending on the region, at different times. Its beginnings would be around 14,000 BC. AD

2- A variety is the lower degree than the species. Several different varieties belong to the same species. Varieties of the same species are different, but share similarities.

3- A plant species is the lower level in the family. This is all of the related varieties. For example, lemon, orange and grapefruit are varieties belonging to the species commonly known as citrus.

4- Genetically Modified Organism

5- A mutagenic agent has the capacity to produce a modification in the genome of the affected individual. At this time, mutations occur in the body of this individual.