Definitions for "Open-pollinated"
Open-pollinated varieties are stable varieties resulting from the pollination between the same or genetically similar parents. Not hybrid. [Go to source
This term is generally seen in seed catalogs. It refers to seeds that come from plants that have been naturally pollinated in the field. Unlike hybrid varieties, these plants will produce seeds that grow true to variety, which means the fruit they produce will be the same as that of the parent. If you save the seeds from these varieties and plant them again the following year, you will develop a strain that is adapted to your particular soil and climate.
Refers to seeds produced from plants which are allowed to pollinate primarily through insects, wind and water. Open-pollinated varieties of the same species often need to be isolated from each other to prevent cross-pollination if seeds are to be saved. Open-pollinated plants, managed carefully, will produce offspring with reliable characteristics, allowing seeds to be saved and grown out year after year, generation after generation.