Hybrid seeds are produced by crossing two or more separate lines or varieties of a species. Hybrid breeding systems were introduced because often hybrid strains are more vigorous--meaning hybrid strains can result in higher yields and stronger plants than pure lines. In the U.S., many crops are double-crossed; in other words, two hybrids are crossed, resulting in a hybrid with the characteristics of all four original strains, and two generations of "hybrid vigor" bred in.
Toxin Risks During Planting
Some hybrid corn seeds produced by multinationals with the vast majority of seed market share are treated with fungicide. For example, hybrid corn seeds donated by Monsanto to Haiti in the wake of the 2010 earthquake were treated with a fungicide called Maxim X. According to a pesticide safety factsheet developed by Pennsylvania State University, agricultural workers planting seeds treated with fungicides can suffer adverse health effects and irritation to the throat, skin and eyes.
First-Year High Yields Decline With Subsequent Plantings
A study on seed development programs conducted by Michigan State University researchers found that though hybrid seeds typically produce high yields the first year, the yield drops if the seeds from the first crop are recycled for a second year. According to the study, the percentage lost if the seeds are recycled depends on what type of hybrid you're using and what the specific conditions of the growing environment are.
High Import Costs
Because of the fact that hybrid seeds cannot be recycled if the same yields are desired, farmers must continue to import new hybrid seeds each year. This causes farmers to become wedded to seed importation. For example, a study conducted by the Center for Agricultural Research and Ecological Studies in Vietnam, on impacts of using hybrid rice seeds, found the annual national seed importation cost of $14.5 million U.S. dollars cut into rice export earnings. According to the study, $14.5 million represents about 1.5 percent of Vietnam's rice export earnings.
Increase in Chemical Fertilizer Use
The Center for Agricultural Research and Ecological Studies study also noted that at the farming level hybrid rice consumed about 30 kilograms of chemical fertilizer per hectacre more than regular inbred rice strains; the study notes that this represented an increase of the use of chemicals of about 16 percent.
Catastrophic Crop Failure
The hybrid crop system can bring gains--if everything goes according to plan. But the gains do not hold up in years of drought or flooding. According to a BBC report on the introduction of hybrid rice to Bangladesh, if a crop is successful a farmer can afford higher fertilizer costs and can easily purchase new seeds the next year. If not, planting seeds produced by hybrid crops is an unacceptable practice, as seed quality and yield is very poor. In Bangladesh, hybrid crops were introduced after a flood wiped out massive numbers of rice seedlings, based on the ability of hybrids to bring about gains of 30 to 40 percent in yield. But over the long term, hybrids may introduce a new form of instability with far worse repercussions than the impact of natural catastrophes on inbred rice crops.
References
- Michigan State University, Department of Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics: Seed Development Programs In Sub-Saharan Africa--A Review Of Experiences
- Living History Farm: The Science Of Hybrids
- Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences: Pesticide Safety Fact Sheet
- BBC News: Row Over Hybrid Crops
- The Huffington Post: Haitian Farmers Commit To Burning Monsanto Hybrid Seeds
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