Identification of molecular markers associated with lycopene and carotenoid contents in tomato

Tomato, one of the major fruit vegetables consumed all over the world, is an important source of micronutrients and,lycopene, an antioxidant that neutralizes the reactive oxygen species derived from free radicals. Twenty eight tomato varieties were grown following standard cultivation package. Lycopene content was high in variety Ruchi (105.41μg/g) and lowest was in Tomato Stone (10.53 μg/g). OPC4950 and OPC4300 markers showed significant correlation with lycopene by single marker analysis. In stepwise multiple regression analysis, three markers accounted for 45.96% relation with lycopene and OPC4950 showed maximum association. Jaccard's coefficient analysis showed 46 to 92% genetic diversity among genotypes and correlation coefficient ranged from 66 to 99.98%. These results reveal that OPC4950 can be used as potential marker in marker-assisted selection for the improvement of tomato with high lycopene and carotenoids contents.