Term

Open-pollinated (OP)

Also known as: OP variety

Full explanation

In Ukrainian vegetables OP varieties retain their role in niche and organic production: cucumber (Nizhynski, Konkurent), tomato (Bull's Heart, De Barao, Ox Heart), sweet pepper (Moldova's Gift), table beet. Advantage: seed can be self-saved, critical for organic and seed-stock farms. In field crops, OP corn and sunflower varieties have been phased out because of 20–40% lower yield vs hybrids. Ukrainian OP vegetable seed producers: Sady Ukrainy, Nasinnya Ukrainy, AgroBusiness Group (Semko brand), Nizhyn Seed Plant. Imports: Bejo, Enza Zaden, Seminis, Rijk Zwaan — mostly hybrids, but some OP lines. Trade-off: OP is cheaper, allows self-seeding, suitable for organic — but lower yield potential.

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