Impacts of Sletr1-1 and Sletr1-2 mutations on the hybrid seed quality of tomatoes

Abstract

Shelf life is an important breeding trait in tomato, especially for the tomato production in subtropical and tropical regions. Previously we have isolated and characterized ethylene receptor mutants, Sletr1-1 and Sletr1-2 from mutant population based on Micro-Tom cultivar. Sletr1-1 showed insensitivity to ethylene while Sletr1-2 showed reduced sensitivity to ethylene. We also have demonstrated that the traits are useful for extending fruit shelf life of the hybrid tomato cultivars. For commercializing the hybrid cultivars, the seed quality is another important trait. In this study, we evaluated the effects of the Sletr1-1 and Sletr1-2 mutations on the seed quality characteristics of F1 hybrid lines generated by crossing Sletr1-1 and Sletr1-2 with three commercial tomato cultivars, Intan, Mutiara and Ratna. Sletr1-1 mutation conferred insensitivity to ethylene in the F1 hybrid seedlings, resulting in negative effects including reduced germination rate, vigor index and emergence speed index. Interestingly Sletr1-2 mutation had almost no effect on the seed quality characteristics of the F1 hybrid lines, suggesting that Sletr1-2 was suitable for producing high quality of hybrid seeds.