hybrids

[littleminnie]

Ok so how many hybrid vegetables are sterile? This pops up all over the internet that some hybrids are sterile but I mean really, how many?

[billw]

In general, the more of a pain in the ass that it is to hand pollinate a crop, the more likely that the hybrids are created through male sterile lines. Vegetables that self pollinate generally aren't. Vegetables that produce copious seed from large, accessible flowers generally aren't. Vegetables that produce few seeds from tiny or inaccessible flowers generally are. So, you won't find many sterile peas or beans or tomatoes because they will self pollinate and are also accessible to hand-crossing with reasonable yields. You won't find many squash because they have nice big flowers and one cross produces tons of seed. You will find plenty of umbellifers and brassicas that are male sterile because the many tiny flowers are simply too difficult to cross by hand.

[Joseph Lofthouse]

I agree with BillW. My list of (male) sterile hybrids includes:

Broccoli
Cabbage
Turnip
Cauliflower
Carrot
Radish
Beet
Onion
Brussels Sprouts
Swiss Chard

Merchants are not always clear about whether they are selling hybrid seed so even if they are not listed as being hybrids they might be anyway. I have grown some onion hybrids that are both male sterile and female sterile.

I've noticed that some peppers produce only a couple of seeds per plant: essentially sterile.

Common sterile crops may include potato, pineapple, banana, orange, grapefruit, watermelon, grapes, summer squash, garlic, potato onion, (parthenocarpic) tomatoes, and eggplant. Seed vendors typically use the word "seedless" to describe them.

[hortusbrambonii]

Pummkins and tomato hybrids are generally not sterile I think (correct me here if I'm wrong) and there are also seedless (male sterile) sunflowers.

[templeton]

bit late to this thread, but add parsnip to the F1 male sterile list

[oxbowfarm]

I'd disagree on the parthenocarpic tomatoes being on this list. In my experience they aren't sterile and will produce seeded fruit under normal tomato pollen viability conditions, at least the varieties I've grown. Most of the parthenocarpic tomato varieties I'm aware of are OP.

[ferdzy]

Belgian endive is another one that may be male sterile.

[oxbowfarm]

Yes, the hybrid endives and chicories are pretty definitely all cell-fusion CMS.