GENETIC DIVERSITY AND CHARACTER ASSOCIATION IN TOMATO (Solanum lycopersicum L.) GENOTYPES

Abstract

The experiment was conducted using thirty crossing genotypes and six parents in F 2

generation of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) under field condition for identifying their inter genotypic variability, correlation, path co-efficient and genetic diversity by considering their nineteen yield contributing characters at the experimental field of Shere-Bangla Agriculture University, Dhaka, Bangladesh. For all the characters the genotypes

significantly different from each other. PCV was always higher than GCV for all the traits.

High heritability was observed for the number of flower per cluster (84.93%), number of

fruit

per cluster (90.30%), number of fruit per plant (99.77%), individual fruit weight (99.61%), fruit length (91.84%), and yield per plant (93.16%). Positive correlation coefficient for both genotypic and phenotypic with yield was found for leaf width, individual

fruit

weight, fruit length, fruit width, skin diameter and locule number. A positive direct effect on yield per plant for the characters, leaf length, leaf width, number of cluster per plant, number of flower per plant, individual fruit weight, fruit length, fruit width, relative water content and P H was identified through path co-efficient analysis. The highest intercluster

distance was observed between II and IV (14.738) and the lowest inter-cluster distance was observed between I and V (3.681). The highest intra-cluster distances were observed in cluster III and the lowest intra-cluster distances were observed in cluster IV. Based on cluster mean and agronomic performance the genotypes G6×G1 showed the minimum days to first flowering and days to 50% flowering from cluster V. G6 showed the maximum number of cluster per plant from cluster II. G7×G1 showed maximum individual fruit weight from cluster IV. G6×G7 showed maximum fruit width and total soluble solids from cluster V and G9×G7 showed maximum yield per plant from cluster IV. Therefore, considering group distance and other agronomic performance these inter genotypic crosses might be suggested for future breeding program.