Hybrid plants are:

• A. More prone to disease than open-pollinated varieties
• B. Genetically diverse
• C. More productive than open-pollinated varieties
• D. True-to-type when grown from saved seeds

Answer: (C)

Hybrid plants come from crossing two distinct parental lines, which often produces offspring with hybrid vigor. This vigor typically shows up as greater growth, better flowering and fruiting, and more uniform performance across a field, leading to higher yields than open-pollinated varieties. That boosted productivity is the main reason hybrids are favored in many crops. It’s important to note that saving seeds from hybrids usually won’t reproduce the same plants in the next generation, since the offspring segregate and revert toward the parental traits. Disease resistance and exact performance depend on the specific parental lines, not on hybrids in general. So, the statement that hybrids are more productive than open-pollinated varieties best reflects the common advantage of hybrid crosses.