CONTROLLED POLLINATION HUSK TOMATO (Physalis ixocarpa Brot.)

Abstract

Different types of pollination were evaluated in the husk tomato varieties CHF1-Chapingo and Verde Puebla. Treatments consisted of combinations of varieties, covered branches, covered plants and plants under open-pollination (PL). Covering of the two first groups mentioned was done with Agribon, and branches and plants were alone or in pairs of the same or different varieties. In the last group aforementioned (control) plants were without covering. It was used a randomized complete block experimental design with four replications and an experimental plot of on row with three plants. The traits measured by branch or plant were: number of flowers (NFL), number of fruits (NFR) and number of fruits with seed, which was used to calculate the percentage of set flowers (PFLA) and the percentage of fruits with seeds (PFRCS). Results indicated that NFL and NFR from covered branches were statistically lower to those from plants covered in pairs or covered alone; the latter had a similar NFL and lower NFR than plants under PL. The highest PFLA was observed in covered branches (67.9) and PL plants (60.1), and the lowest PFLA was obtained from plants covered alone (45.5). PFRCS from covered branches (5.0), pairs of covered plants (8.5), and alone (4.8) were the same, but inferior to those from plants under PL (29.1). For both NFL and NFR, ‘CHF1-Chapingo’ was superior to ‘Verde Puebla’ under different types of pollination, except for plants under PL; the combination of ‘CHG1-Chapingo’ and ‘Verde Puebla’ in branches was similar to ‘Verde Puebla’, but in plants it was similar to ‘CHF1-Chapingo’. ‘CH1-Chapingo’ and ‘Verde Puebla’ were the same in PFLA and PFRCS under four types of pollination, and the combination o ‘CH1-Chapingo’ and ‘Verde Puebla’ in branches was generally intermediate to both varieties.