Rate of fruit development, leaf growth, and earliness in determinate tomatoes

Abstract

The component subperiods of reproductive development as well as rate of leaf growth were determined for three trusses in eight determinate tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum L. Mill) genotypes in an attempt to identify effective selection criteria for improving earliness. Days from transplanting to anthesis and first red fruit to the first truss correlated well with days to plant maturity (r = 0.58 and r = 0.63 respectively; P < 0.01). These correlations were stronger for full season genotypes (r = 0.53 to r = 0.69) than for early maturing genotypes (r < 0.41). Plant maturity was correlated moderately better with these periods in the later trusses than in the first truss. Leaf growth parameters were not correlated significantly with either earliness or fruit yield. Key words: Tomato, Lycopersicon esculentum, earliness