Combining ability analysis for yield and quality traits in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.)

The present investigation was carried out under AICRP on Vegetable Crops, Department of Vegetable Science at Horticultural Research and Instructional Farm, IGKV, Raipur (C.G.) during 2016-17 to 2017-18 to association study for various quantitative characters in tomato genotypes.Crosses were made to determine general combining ability and specific combining ability of parents and crosses respectively using Line x Tester mating fashion, type of gene action involved for fruit yield and its components and to ascertain the magnitude of heterosis. Development of hybrids and varieties for better yield and quality traits requires identification of good specific and general combiners. Combining ability revealed that predominance of non-additive gene action for all the characters under study. This suggests the possibility of exploiting heterosis in the present material. Line H-86 and Kashi Anupam found good general combiner for fruit yield per hectare, average fruit weight, fruit diameter, fruit yield per plant, H-24 for dry matter% of fruit, plant height, number of fruit cluster per plant, number of fruits per cluster, while, 2014/TOLCVRES-3, 2015/TOLCVRES-4, 2015/TOLCVRES-2 was used as tester for fruit yield and its component tomato improvement programme. High per se performance with remarkable heterosis and significant SCA effects were expressed by PR x 14/TLCV-3, KA x 15/TLCV-2, H-86 x 14/TLCV-3, KA x 14/TLCV-3 and H-24 x 14/TLCV-1 for higher fruit yield and its contributing traits. Hence, the present study was framework for improvement high yielding genotypes of tomato with desirable traits.