Studies on analysis of variance and mean performance of parents and their crosses among various quantitative traits in tomato (<em>Solanum lycopersicum </em>L.)

Abstract

The present study was carried out during Rabi seasons of 2016-17 and 2017-18 at Main Experiment Station of Department of Vegetable Science, Narendra Deva University of Agriculture and Technology, Narendra Nagar (Kumarganj), Ayodhya (U.P.) India. The experimental materials of the study comprised of 54 treatments of tomato [40 F1’s and 14 parental lines (10 lines viz., NDT-1, NDT-2, NDT-3, NDT-4, NDT-5, NDT-6, NDT-7, NDT-8, Azad T-6, Arka Saurabh and 4 testers viz., Pusa Ruby, Punjab Chhuhara, Arka Vikash and Arka Meghali]. The 14 parents were involved in a crossing programme to develop a line × tester set (10 lines + 4 testers + 40 F1’s). The experimental materials (40 F1’s and 14 parental lines) were evaluated in Randomized Complete Block Design (RBD) with three replication having each experimental unit with spacing of 60 cm × 50 cm with plot size of 1.2 m × 3.0 m. The observations were recorded on fifteen characters, viz., days to 50% flowering, days to first fruit set, days to first fruit harvest, plant height (cm), number of primary branches per plant, number of fruits per cluster, number of fruits per plant, average fruit weight (g), fruit length (cm), fruit girth (cm), number of locules per fruit, pericarp thickness (mm), total soluble solids (TSS), ascorbic acid (mg/100g fresh fruit) and total fruit yield per plant (kg). Analysis of variance revealed that the differences among treatments were highly significant for all the characters studied in both the years and pooled. Parent Pusa Ruby showed earliest days to 50% flowering among the parents which was followed by NDT-4, NDT-5 and NDT-2 in both the year and pooled. The best F1 hybrid regarding days to 50% flowering was NDT-4 × Arka Meghali followed by Azad T-6 × Arka Vikas, NDT-1 × Arka Meghali and NDT-6 × Pb. Chhuhara in first year, NDT-4 × Arka Meghali followed by NDT-1 × Arka Meghali, NDT-6 × Pb. Chhuhara and NDT-7 × Arka Vikas in second year, NDT-4 × Arka Meghali followed by NDT-1 × Arka Meghali, NDT-6 × Pb. Chhuhara and Azad T-6 × Arka Vikas in pooled. In parents produced highest total fruit yield per plant was Arka Meghali followed by Arka Vikas, NDT-2 and Arka Saurabh in both the year and pooled. The highest yielding hybrid was NDT-3 × Arka Vikas followed by NDT-2 × Arka Meghali, NDT-2 × Arka Vikas and NDT-4 × Arka Vikas in both the year, NDT-4 × Arka Meghali followed by NDT-2 × Arka Meghali, NDT-6 × Pb. Chhuhara and Azad T-6 × Arka in pooled.