Study of Morphological Qualitative and Quantitative Characterization of Different Traits in Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) Genotypes

Abstract

Tomato is classified as a warm-season crop and is characterized by two distinct plant growth habits: determinate and indeterminate. The flowers of tomatoes are typically bisexual and possess both male and female reproductive structures, making them perfect flowers. The stigma of the flower is surrounded by a protective anther cone, which promotes self-pollination. This self-pollination trait in tomato plants facilitates their maintenance breeding, and simple selection methods can be employed to effectively improve the crop. The current investigation involved the characterization of twenty-five tomato germplasm genotypes. The experimental was carried out during rabi season 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 at Horticulture Research Centre, College of Horticulture, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel University of Agriculture and Technology, Meerut. Seedlings of tomato were transplanted at spacing of 60 x 45 cm in randomized block design with three replications. Data was collected based on eight qualitative traits, namely, plant growth habit, leaf colour, flower colour, fruit size, fruit shape, fruit colour, fruit surface, and stem end fruit shape. The tomato genotypes demonstrated significant variability in all qualitative traits, with the exception of the fruit surface trait. This highlights the importance of focusing on these traits in future crop improvement programs for tomato.