A Study on Heterosis in Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) for Yield and its Component Traits

Heterosis for yield components and yield per plant was studied using 8x8 half diallel cross in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.). The heterosis for yield was generally accompanied by heterosis for yield components. Heterosis for yield per plant ranged from (P7 x P8) -25.57 to 43.81 (P6 x P8) per cent over better parent and heterosis over standard variety NDTP-4 (SV-1) varied from (P1 x P6) -52.19 to 60.80 (P4 x P7) per cent and heterosis over standard variety NDTP-7 (SV-2) varied from (P1 x P6) -59.23 to 37.13 (P4 x P7) per cent respectively. Significant heterosis over better and standard varieties was observed for all the traits. Five crosses P4 x P7, P5 x P7, P1 x P7, P2 x P7, P3 x P7 showed standard heterosis for fruit yield per plant, also found significant over better parents with the different magnitude. Out of top three heterotic F1 with the attractive fruit shape crosses P4 x P7, and P1 x P7 and P5 x P7 which also found maximum fruit weight and high number of fruits per plant, and also identified for developing high-yielding F1 hybrids/varieties of tomato.