Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) is one of the most important vegetable crops worldwide, valued for its nutritional and economic significance. Enhancing yield potential and fruit quality through hybrid development is a key objective in tomato breeding. The present study was conducted at Nauni, Solan (Himachal Pradesh, India) during the summers of 2021 and 2022 to assess the mean performance and heterotic effects of tomato hybrids for yield and quality traits. Seven diverse genotypes were crossed in a full diallel fashion during summer 2021 to develop 42 F₁ hybrids. These hybrids, along with their parents and the standard check Solan Lalima, were evaluated in a randomised complete block design (RCBD) with 3 replications during summer 2022. The results indicated that parental lines Solan Lalima, UHF-T-52, UHF-T-50 and BT-18, as well as crosses Solan Lalima × UHF-T-52, Solan Lalima × UHF-T-50 and UHF-T-52 × Solan Lalima, were superior for yield and its contributing traits. The study highlights the potential of these promising hybrids for developing high-yielding, quality-oriented tomato cultivars. Future breeding programmes can utilise these hybrids as potential parents to introgress desirable alleles and enhance productivity and fruit quality in tomato improvement efforts.
In Mexico, the predominant commercial Solanum lycopersicum L. varieties are red. Nevertheless, materials with alternative pigmentations can serve as a source of genetic variation for the expression of diverse fruit colors while providing nutraceutical properties of interest. The aim of this study was to determine the agronomic performance of hybrids derived from nine contrasting parents with different fruit shapes, colors, and indeterminate growth habits, as well as their direct crosses, for agronomic, color, and fruit quality traits in order to select outstanding genotypes. Twenty crosses were obtained by combining four elite red female parents with five male color donors. The experiment was established under a randomized complete block design with four replications and 10 plants per experimental unit. Yield components, fruit quality, and color characteristics were evaluated. The agronomic performance of the crosses and parents was estimated, along with mean heterosis, high-parent heterosis, and type of gene action. Significant differences among crosses were detected for all evaluated variables, except for the color component b*. Crosses involving the pink parent showed higher values for yield components, whereas crosses involving orange parents exhibited better fruit quality. Phenotypic values among parents were significant for total fruit weight (TFW), total number of fruits (TNF), days to flowering (DF), days to maturity (DM), and the color variables L*, a*, and b*. Mean heterosis reached values of up to 94.5 %, indicating average effects of partial dominance and dominance toward the male parent.
Mitzy Tiare Arenas-Santos, S. Cruz-Izquierdo, R. Lobato‐Ortiz et al.· Agrociencia· 0 citations
This study evaluated heterosis and selected genetic parameters for 14 quantitative traits in brinjal (eggplant). Eight lines and three testers were crossed in a line × tester design to produce 24 F1 hybrids, which were evaluated during the rabi and kharif seasons of 2022–23. The experiment was conducted at the College Farm, College of Horticulture, Jagudan, and the Fruit Research Station, Dehgam, using a randomised block design with three replications. Standard agronomic practices were followed, and observations were recorded from six selected plants per treatment across replications for plant height, plant spread, flowering and picking traits, fruit yield, phenolic content and related characters. Heterosis was expressed as the percentage increase or decrease relative to the better parent (heterobeltiosis) and the standard check (standard heterosis). For plant height at 90 DAT, several crosses exhibited positive heterosis, with L5 × T1 and L7 × T2 recording the highest pooled standard heterosis values. L5 × T1 also performed best for plant height at the last picking and showed consistently favourable heterosis for plant spread in both the E–W and N–S directions. Desirable negative heterosis for days to first flower initiation and days to first picking was recorded in L3 × T1, L2 × T1 and L5 × T1. L3 × T1 and L5 × T1 exhibited desirable positive heterosis for days to last picking. These crosses may be useful for improving growth and flowering traits in brinjal, subject to further evaluation for yield, quality and stability.
N. Nadoda, H. R. Barot, D. Barot et al.· International Journal of Pla...· 0 citations
Onion (
Allium cepa
L.) is the second most commonly produced and consumed vegetable worldwide. In West Africa, high heat and moisture are key constraints for onion productivity during the rainy-season. This study aimed to assess the combining ability, heterosis, and genetic variability of five onion genotypes and 10 F
1
hybrids generated through a half diallel mating design to identify superior parental lines and hybrids adapted to heat and moisture conditions.
The experiment involved five parents: Prema 178, EW001, Violet d’Abéché, Violet de Galmi and AC980. The trials were implemented on station at the World Vegetable Center in Samanko by using a randomized complete block design. Twelve morphological, physiological, and agronomic traits were evaluated.
Analysis of variance showed substantial genetic variability. Significant general combining ability (GCA) and specific combining ability (SCA) effects indicated that both additive and non-additive gene actions influence key traits. The best general combiner was Parent P1 (Prema 178), which had the best positive GCA effects on plant survival rate (5 and 4.98), plant height (2.36 and 2.53), number of bulbs (5.82 and 3.38), and bulb yield (2.09 and 2.44). The hybrids P4×P5 (Violet de Galmi x AC980) and P1xP5 (Prema 178×AC980) had the most positive SCA effects and the best heterosis values over the midparent (105.26%) and better parent (94.56%) for bulb yield, as well as strong vigor and root growth.
These results demonstrate that the hybrids P4×P5, P1×P5, and P3×P5 are good candidates for multilocation testing in high heat and high moisture prone conditions.
A. Traore, J. Tignégré, Z. Kiébré et al.· Frontiers in Horticulture· 0 citations
Bacterial wilt caused by Ralstonia solanacearum is a destructive disease severely restricting tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) productivity in tropical and subtropical regions. The purpose of this study was to identify novel sources of resistance and explicate the inheritance pattern of bacterial wilt resistance in tomato. A total of 59 genotypes, including open-pollinated lines, hybrids and breeding accessions, were subjected to screening experiments during two consecutive seasons (2022–2023 and 2023–2024) under controlled net house conditions at Centurion University of Technology and Management and natural epiphytotic field conditions at Indian Institute of Horticultural Research - Central Horticultural Experiment Station , Bhubaneswar, India. Disease severity was evaluated using percent disease index (PDI) and area under disease progress curve (AUDPC). The open-pollinated cultivar ‘Utkal Kumari (BT-10)’ exhibited consistent high resistance, with significantly lower AUDPC values (<150 vs >1800 in susceptible checks) and high survival rates (90 %) across environments. Among others, tomato cultivars Arka Samrat, Arka Abhed and JK Desi, demonstrated significant resistance while genotypes such as Pusa Ruby and EW815 were consistently highly susceptible. A segregating F₂ population derived from a cross between resistant ‘BT-10’ and susceptible ‘Pusa Ruby’ exhibited continuous variation in disease response. Chi-square analysis revealed significant deviation from a 3:1 Mendelian segregation ratio (χ² = 72.30, P < 0.01), indicating a quantitative mode of inheritance. These findings highlight the potential of Utkal Kumari and allied resistant lines as donors for resistance breeding and emphasize the need to integrate robust phenotypic screening with molecular approaches for durable and strategic bacterial wilt management in tomato.
D. Debasmita, D. Sunanya, N. P. Bhagbat et al.· Plant Science Today· 0 citations
The present investigation was conducted to estimate heterosis for yield, yield-attributing traits and chilli leaf curl virus (ChiLCV) resistance in chilli (Capsicum annuum L.) using a line × tester mating design. Five female lines and six male testers were crossed to produce 30 F₁ hybrids, which were evaluated along with their parents and two commercial check hybrids. Heterosis was estimated over the mid-parent, better parent and standard checks. Significant variation was observed among the hybrids for all studied traits. The hybrids L5 × T2, L3 × T3, L5 × T3, L4 × T6 and L1 × T6 exhibited significant positive standard heterosis for green fruit yield and several yield-contributing traits. The cross L4 × T6 recorded the highest heterosis over the mid-parent and better parent for plant height, whereas L5 × T3 showed superior performance over both commercial checks. For number of branches per plant, L2 × T3, L1 × T6 and L2 × T6 were the best-performing hybrids across different heterosis estimates. Earliness was observed in L3 × T6, L1 × T2 and L3 × T3, as indicated by significant negative heterosis for days to 50% flowering. Hybrids L1 × T6, L5 × T3 and L4 × T6 expressed superior heterosis for fruit length, while L3 × T6, L3 × T5 and L1 × T6 performed best for fruit diameter. The hybrids L2 × T6, L2 × T2 and L1 × T6 showed the highest heterosis for fruit weight. Cross L3 × T5 recorded superior performance for number of fruits per plant, whereas L5 × T2 exhibited the highest positive heterosis for green fruit yield. For ChiLCV disease severity, L3 × T5 expressed significant negative heterosis over the mid-parent and better parent, while L1 × T6 showed the lowest disease incidence compared with both commercial checks. These hybrids may serve as promising genetic resources for developing high-yielding and ChiLCV-tolerant chilli hybrids.
P. Mulè, Babasaheb Changdeo Walunjkar, N. Gurav et al.· Plant cell biotechnology and...· 0 citations
Aims: The present investigation was undertaken to estimate standard heterosis for resistance to major insect pests and diseases in spiny brinjal (Solanum melongena L.) and to identify promising hybrid combinations that could serve as parental materials for future resistance breeding programmes.
Study Design: A five-parent full diallel mating design excluding selfing was evaluated in a randomised block design (RBD) with three replications.
Place and Duration of Study: The experiment was conducted at the Horticultural Farm, Department of Horticulture, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru College of Agriculture and Research Institute (PAJANCOA & RI), Karaikal, Union Territory of Puducherry, India, during 2024–2026.
Methodology: Five genetically diverse parents, namely Illavambadi local (P₁), VRM–1 (P₂), Blue spiny brinjal (P₃), Small spiny brinjal (P₄), and Thar Rachit (P₅), were crossed in a full diallel mating design excluding selfing to produce twenty F₁ hybrids, including reciprocal crosses. The parents and hybrids were evaluated under natural field conditions in a randomised block design with three replications. Shoot and fruit borer infestation, bacterial wilt incidence, and phomopsis blight incidence were recorded following the standard procedures described by Mishra et al. (1988), Hussain et al. (2005), and Meah (2007), respectively. Standard heterosis was estimated over the commercial hybrid Sarpan Hybrid-65. Percentage data were analysed by ANOVA following appropriate transformation.
Results: Considerable variation was observed among the parents and F₁ hybrids in resistance to shoot and fruit borer, bacterial wilt, and phomopsis blight. Among the hybrids, shoot and fruit borer infestation ranged from 4.30 to 6.30%, bacterial wilt incidence from 0.40 to 1.60 PDI, and phomopsis blight incidence from 4.80 to 6.70 PDI. Small spiny brinjal × Thar Rachit (P₄ × P₅) recorded the lowest shoot and fruit borer infestation (4.30%) and phomopsis blight incidence (4.80 PDI), whereas Illavambadi local × VRM–1 (P₁ × P₂) recorded the lowest bacterial wilt incidence (0.40 PDI) and matched the commercial check for bacterial wilt and phomopsis blight. The commercial check recorded the lowest shoot and fruit borer infestation and was not surpassed for any resistance trait. Therefore, none of the hybrids expressed desirable standard heterosis over the commercial check. Nevertheless, several hybrids recorded lower pest and disease incidence than the remaining experimental hybrids, indicating their potential value as breeding materials.
Conclusion: Small spiny brinjal × Thar Rachit, Illavambadi local × VRM–1, Blue spiny brinjal × Thar Rachit, Thar Rachit × Small spiny brinjal, and Blue spiny brinjal × VRM–1 were identified as promising hybrid combinations among the experimental crosses because of their comparatively lower pest or disease incidence. Although these hybrids did not surpass the commercial check, they may serve as valuable parental materials for developing resistant cultivars after validation across seasons and locations.
S. Priyanga, V. Kanthaswamy, M. Marichamy et al.· Journal of Scientific Resear...· 0 citations