Jul 2026· Indian Journal of Agricultural Research· 0 citations· 24 references
Abstract
Background: Majority of the farmers in Kurnool district of Andhra Pradesh cultivate commercial hybrids which were low yielding and susceptible to pests and diseases. In this situation, introduction of high yielding hybrids with resistant to pest and diseases (Arka Samrat) were necessary to enhance productivityand to reduce cost of cultivation. Methods: KVK, Yagantipalle were conducted frontline demonstrations (FLDs) during 2020–2022 in Kurnool district, Andhra Pradesh, to evaluate the performance of the IIHR hybrid Arka Samrat against the widely grown farmer’s hybrid PHS 448. Experimental research design was used, total of 30 farmers selected purposively from Kurnool district in whose FLD plots were conducted along with control plot was taken into consideration for the study to evaluate the impact of growth, yield and diseases in tomato triple disease resistant hybrid of Arka Samrat. Result: Results revealed that Arka Samrat consistently better performed over PHS 448, recorded higher fruit yield/plant (47.9 vs 29.3), yield/plant (4.43 vs 2.01 kg) and yield/ha (66.4 vs 40.2 t/ha). MANOVA confirmed, highly significant hybrid effect (Wilks’ λ = 0.019, p less than 0.001), with fruits per cluster and plant height emerged as key determinants of productivity. Diseases in Arka Samrat had a significantly lower incidence of Early Blight (6.35%), TLCV (3.99%) and BW (2.59%) compared to PHS 448, with 63-83% of reduction. Study results revealed strong hybrid effects, fruits per cluster and plant height as key yield determinants. Also higher yield efficiency and disease tolerance make Arka Samrat a promising hybrid for cultivation under agro-climatic conditions of the Kurnool district, Andhra Pradesh.
Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) is one of the most widely grown and economically important vegetable crops in India, but its yield is consistently constrained by lepidopteran fruit borers, particularly Spodoptera litura (Fabricius). A field investigation was carried out during 2016–17 to record the pest intensity of S. litura on six tomato varieties — Pusa Gaurav, Ratna, Arka Saurabh, Pant Bahar, Arka Abha and an untreated Control — left unprotected from pest attack, and to relate this intensity to fruit yield. A field plot measuring 35x22 m was arranged with three replications in a randomised block design (R.B.D.) and a 1.0 m block border. The plots measured 6.0*3.0 m and were separated by a 0.5 m border. The distance between rows and plants was 75x75 cm. A completely randomised design (C.R.D.) for laboratory experiments and a randomised block design (R.B.D.) was employed for field experiments. Larval counts per plant were recorded at weekly intervals from the third week of January to the first week of April and subjected to square-root transformation before analysis. Pest intensity varied appreciably among varieties and across the observation period, with population build-up generally peaking between mid-February and early March. Arka Saurabh recorded the lowest mean pest intensity (0.37–0.39 larvae/plant) but also a comparatively low yield (15.40 kg), whereas Pant Bahar combined a low pest load (0.28–0.54 larvae/plant) with the highest yield (18.95 kg), suggesting a favourable tolerance response. Ratna and Pusa Gaurav carried the heaviest pest burden and showed correspondingly greater within-season yield variability. The untreated Control recorded the lowest overall yield (13.40 kg), underscoring the yield penalty associated with unmanaged S. litura infestation. These findings indicate that varietal choice can meaningfully influence S. litura pressure and support the inclusion of Pant Bahar and Arka Saurabh in integrated pest management and future breeding programmes targeting fruit-borer tolerance.
Ankita Awasthi· Uttar Pradesh Journal of Zoo...· 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
Fusarium wilt, caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici, is a major constraint on tomato production worldwide. The present study was undertaken to evaluate thirty tomato germplasm accessions obtained from the ICAR-Indian Institute of Vegetable Research (IIVR), Varanasi, for their response to Fusarium wilt under field conditions during the 2023 and 2024 cropping seasons at SKUAST-Jammu, Chatha. The thirty germplasm accessions were evaluated under artificial disease pressure, and disease development was assessed through disease incidence, apparent infection rate (r), and area under the disease progress curve (AUDPC), with Pusa Ruby included as the susceptible cultivar. Significant variation was observed among the germplasm accessions in disease development and progression. Based on pooled disease incidence, one germplasm accession was categorised as tolerant (T), two as moderately susceptible (MS), ten as susceptible (S), and seventeen as highly susceptible (HS), whereas no germplasm accession showed resistant (R) or moderately resistant (MR) reactions. The germplasm accessions also exhibited considerable differences in infection rate and AUDPC values, reflecting variability in the speed and cumulative development of Fusarium wilt. Arka Saurabh exhibited comparatively lower disease development, while highly susceptible germplasm accessions showed rapid disease progression and greater disease accumulation. The identified tolerant and less susceptible germplasm accessions can be utilised as potential sources in tomato improvement programmes for developing Fusarium wilt-resistant cultivars.
Nentia Chib, S. K. Singh, M. Thabrez et al.· Plant cell biotechnology and...· 0 citations
Background
: High-tunnel tomato cultivation technology is vital for year-round production during the rainy season and for enhancing income among smallholder farmers in north-west Ethiopia. However, its productivity and sustainability are adversely affected by Fusarium wilt (FW) disease. This study assessed the current status of FW epidemics, examined associated biophysical factors, and characterized
Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici
(FOL) isolates during the 2024 main cropping season.
Methods
: A total of 75 high-tunnel technologies were inspected in four major tomato-producing districts within two zones. A logistic regression model was used to associate biophysical factors with disease incidence and severity.
Results
: All the surveyed high-tunnels were infected with FW, with incidence ranging from 43.6% (Libo Kemkem) to 60.5% (Dera), and severity from 41.4% to 58.3%. Disease incidence and severity were strongly correlated (P < 0.001) with district, age and leakiness of high-tunnels, seed type and source, plant and weed density, crop rotation, and irrigation method. Elevated incidence and severity (>50%) were notably associated with Dera district, gray soils, older and leaky high-tunnels, local and unknown seed varieties, informal seed exchange, high plant and weed density, fruit-setting stage, absence of crop rotation, and contact irrigation method. Pathogen isolation and characterization study identified eight morpho-culturally and pathogenically diverse FOL isolates.
Conclusion
: FW exhibits extensive distribution across high-tunnel technologies, driven by various biophysical factors and has diverse strains. Therefore, integrated management strategies, including cultural interventions and resistant varieties, are imperative for sustainable high-tunnel tomato production in the study area. Further research on temporal pathogen dynamics and molecular characterization of isolates is also recommended.
Yekoye Abebaw, G. Damessa, E. Adgo et al.· CABI Agriculture and Bioscie...· 0 citations
Abstract. Sahid ZD, Qadir A, Syukur M, Ariyanto KF, Wijaya AK, Suwarno PM, Rusmiyati H, Hatta ANNL. 2026. Quantitative and qualitative morphological diversity among nine cherry tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) genotypes grown under lowland conditions. Biodiversitas 27 (6): d270622. https://doi.org/10.13057/biodiv/d270622. Cherry tomatoes are a type of tomato that has seen increasing market demand post-global pandemic as a healthy fruit. Cherry tomato cultivation is generally carried out in highlands and faces competition from other vegetable cultivation. Therefore, developing cherry tomato varieties adapted to lowland conditions is necessary. Developing new superior varieties requires basic information for selecting the diversity of the parents used. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate the morphological diversity of Institut Pertanian Bogor (IPB) cherry tomato lines as cross-breeding parents in further studies. The study was conducted at the lowland greenhouse teaching factory of the vocational school, Institut Pertanian Bogor, Bogor, using automated irrigation and fertigation systems and a single-factor randomized complete block design. The results of this study indicate that there is diversity among nine Institut Pertanian Bogor cherry tomato lines (hybrid and non-hybrid lines) that have the potential to be used as parents in the development of new superior varieties. The seed germination percentage measured in this study varied (80-95%), with early flowering and harvest times (26 and 62 days after transplanting). The average fruit length, diameter, and weight (3.28 cm, 19.24 mm, and 7.23 g) measured in this study showed a vast morphological divergence, making them potential parent lines in cherry tomato breeding. Cluster analysis of nine genotypes based on their morphological characteristics resulted in three main groups, from which parents for breeding were selected. IPBTC 147 forms a distinct group due to its unique morphological characteristics, both quantitative and qualitative, which significantly differ from other genotypes, particularly in its fruit shape and color. This genotype has an average fruit weight of 5 g with the longest fruit stalk length (2.27 cm). The yellow color of this fruit has the potential to produce high diversity in the F2 when crossed with red fruit color. The morphological performance information of this research is expected to serve as a consideration for selecting parents for the development of cherry tomatoes adapted to lowlands.
Z. D. Sahid, Abdul Qadir, M. Syukur et al.· Biodiversitas Journal of Bio...· 0 citations
Rajmash (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) is a traditional pulse crop cultivated on the hill slopes by the tribal farmers during from Second fortnight of August – First fortnight of September. The productivity of rajmash is very low due to the use of local vine type varieties which are highly prone to insect pest attack. A field experiment was conducted at Region Agricultural Research Station, Chintapalle in three consequent years ie., 2020-21, 2021-22 and 2022-23 to evaluate the performance of rajmash varieties viz., Jwala, Arun, Utkarsh, Arka komal,Uday and local check Chintaplle red and Chintapalle white against the incidence of insect pests and yellow mosaic disease. The cumulative results indicated that Arun variety has revealed lowest incidence of flea beetle damage(1.26%), whitefly (1.29/plant) with a resistance reaction to yellow mosaic disease(<1%) with highest seed yield(4.39q/ha) whereas, the local check variety Chintapalle red has recorded highest flea beetle damage(2.45%),whitefly (3.07/plant), highest YMV disease(4.84%) with lowest seed yield (1.57q/ha).
P. Seetharamu, M. Srinivasarao, B. N. Sandeepnaik et al.· Journal of Eco-friendly Agri...· 0 citations