The process of creating a hybrid plant by the union of protoplasts of two plant cells of the same or different species is called somatic hybridization or somatic fusion. The cells created in this process are called cybrid. The two cells that form the cybrid are called heterokaryons. Cybrids contain a combination of heterozygous mitochondria and chloroplasts with advanced characteristics. Cybrids have been created in plants like potato, tomato, petunia, lemon, tobacco etc. Pomato was created by the union of protoplasts of potato and tomato plants. Numerous seedlings are produced from cybrids. Carlson introduced the somatic hybridization method in 1972.