Studies on Genetic Parameters to Improve the Genetic Architecture of Tomato (Solanum Lycopersicum L.).

ABSTRACT

Selection which is the basis of every breeding programme operates only on variation which is of genetic nature. A wide range of variability present in any crop always provides the better chances of selecting desired types. A field experiment was carried out at Vegetable Research Farm, Department of Horticulture, Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Banaras Hindu University during 2012 to evaluate the diverse genotypes of tomato. Analysis of variance indicated highly significant differences among the genotypes for all the characters. The highest GCV and PCV were observed with the character fruit yield per plant followed by number of seeds per fruit. Whereas, the lowest GCV and PCV were recorded by the character days to 50% fruiting followed by days to 50% flowering. The heritability estimates were high for all the characters except number of branches per plant which showed moderate heritability. The maximum heritability was observed for number of seeds per fruit and average fruit weight. High GCV and heritability coupled with high genetic advance was observed for fruit yield per plant followerd by number of seeds per fruit indicating that they are governed by additive genes and could be effectively improved through selection.