Native seed vs Hybrid vs GMO?

While I have been part of starting a discussion on Native vs Hybrid seeds in Zero Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF) whatsapp group. I thought it was now my responsibility to write a blog on the difference between them.

With no further due Native Seeds are the way to go for ZBNF. If you donot find native variety you are looking for then you can go for open pollinated improved varieties from institutes like IIHR or from seeds banks of certain NGOs. However ensure the authenticity of the seeds. Other multi national companies also produce open pollinated varieties but I have stayed away from big companies, because their interest is more in F1 and GMO seeds and I am not interested in funding those projects by buying any seeds from them.

The real challenges before a beginner ZBNF farmer starts with the seeds. Follow this link to find FAQs related to procuring native seeds.


What is Native seeds? (Also called as Nati or  heirloom seeds or open pollinated seeds)
Native seeds are "open pollinated" variety, where the plannts self-pollinate or are pollinated by another representative of the same variety. The resulting seeds will produce plants roughly identical to their parents.  These seeds are passed on from generation to generation and have very interesting stories about the origin of the seeds.
As described in Wikipedia  ""Open pollinated" generally refers to seeds that will "breed true." ... Open-pollinated varieties are also often referred to as standard varieties or, when the seeds have been saved across generations or across several decades, heirloom varieties.

Open-pollination is when pollination occurs by insect, bird, wind, humans, or other natural mechanisms.Open-pollination is when pollination occurs by insect, bird, wind, humans, or other natural mechanisms.

Difference between Open-pollination and Native Seeds
Open-pollination is when pollination occurs by insect, bird, wind, humans, or other natural mechanisms.

• Because there are no restrictions on the flow of pollen between individuals, open-pollinated plants are more genetically diverse. 
• This can cause a greater amount of variation within plant populations, which allows plants to slowly adapt to local growing conditions and climate year-to-year.
•  As long as pollen is not shared between different varieties within the same species, then the seed produced will remain true-to-type year after year.

An native or nati or heirloom variety is a plant variety that has a history of being passed down within a family or community, similar to the generational sharing of heirloom jewelry or furniture.

• An heirloom variety must be open-pollinated, but not all open-pollinated plants are heirlooms. In the western countries some companies create heirloom labels based on dates (such as a variety that is more than 50 years old), Seed Savers Exchange identifies heirlooms by verifying and documenting the generational history of preserving and passing on the seed. I donot know if we had such an agency until recently when we started creating heirloom variety like Basmati Rice, Nanjanagud Rasabhale
• For most part native seeds held in NGO seed banks like Green Foundation or directly by farmers are heirloom varieties. Those held by farmers directly cannot be authenticated as heirloom but the NGOs are trying to create authenticity. Eg; Pichikhadhi Ragi from Green Foundation was awarded UNESCO award for preserving the millet variety with extensive seed selection process over years.
• We have great varieties such as Khari Mundaga Rice from South Kanara, Karnataka or the Gandhasale (perfumed rice variety) once grown in Kerala and Karnataka which are heirloom varieties but don not have authenticity due to lack of verification and documentation with genrational history.  Government of India has to wake up and do some work, whatever work is happening with heirloom is very slow and inadequate, especially given the biodiversity of grains that was grown in each region across India.

What are Hybrid seeds?
Hybridization is a controlled method of pollination in which the pollen of two different species or varieties is crossed by human intervention.

• Hybridization can occur naturally through random crosses, but commercially available hybridized seed, often labeled as F1, is deliberately created to breed a desired trait. 
• The first generation of a hybridized plant cross also tends to grow better and produce higher yields than the parent varieties due to a phenomenon called ‘hybrid vigor’. 
• However, any seed produced by F1 plants is genetically unstable and cannot be saved for use in following years.
•  Not only will the plants not be true-to-type, but they will be considerably less vigorous. 
• Gardeners who use hybrid plant varieties must purchase new seed every year. 
• Some good news is, Hybrid seeds can be stabilized, becoming open-pollinated varieties, by growing, selecting, and saving the seed over many years.

Why do we prefer Native seeds in ZBNF?
The one pro that makes to the top of the list of Advantages of Native seeds is: you can make your own seeds.

1. The popularity is from the fact that you can save your own seeds, plant them the following year, and be assured that they will grow back with the exact same characteristics as the parent.
2. Native seeds are cheaper then their counterpart namely Hybrid seeds.
3. Native variety plants have non-uniform harvest and size, thus allowing for staggered harvest.
4. Plants grown from native seeds slowly adapt to local growing conditions and climate year-to-year
5. An important advantage of choosing open-pollinated varieties conserves the genetic diversity of farm or kitchen garden vegetables and prevents the loss of unique varieties in the face of dwindling agricultural biodiversity.
6. You will have a great history that can be learned from nature and retold and written in a blog (if you wish too!!!)

The first reason is a no brainer for a ZBNF farmer because we prefer to do things on the cheap. It also has the advantage of allowing your operation to be basically self-contained or sustainable.  The second reason plays into those thoughts.

The third reason is important if you a ZBNF farmer serving a small community who needs staggered harvest. Due to non-uniform harvest and size, it gives  the farmer continuous supply over longer period than their Hybrid counterpart.

The fourth reason is important since adaptability is the law of Nature and automatic resistance to pests and environment changes is an added advantage to ZBNF farmers. 

The fifth reason is the biggest contribution any ZBNF farmer can do to Nature. We are literally preserving genetic diversity in today's adverse environment where biodiversity is dwindling not only in our farm lands but also in our forests, due to deforestation and smuggling of medicinal plants and herbs.

What are GMO seeds?
Being a ZBNF farmer this is the least interested topic that I want to write anything about. Hence, I suggest you surt the internet and read all about Genetically Modified seeds.