Tomato
|
- Centre of origin: Peru, Equador and Bolivia
- Ploidy level: 2n= 2x=24
- Tomato Solanum lycopersicum Mill. (syn.Lycopersicon esculentum) is one of the most important warm-season fruit vegetables grown throughout the world. Among the vegetables, maximum attempts have been made to improve this crop.
- Short duration of crop, easiness in cultivation and a large number of seeds per fruit has made it an ideal crop for many research works.
Origin
- Tomato is a native of Peru in South America. The crop spread to North America primarily by migrating birds.
- The largest concentration of wild tomatoes is present in Mexico.
Floral biology
- Dehiscence of anther occurs 1-2 days after the opening of corolla.
- It occurs from base to top and is longitudinal. It is mainly self-pollinated but certain percentage of cross-pollination also occurs.
- If the pollen is shed as the style grows up through the anther tube, self fertilization is the rule.
- Self-pollination also takes place when the style is short and the stigma is not extroverted beyond the connivent anther.
- A certain degree of cross-pollination happens when the stigma protrudes outside the level of anther (extrovert).
Breeding goals
- Earliness
- Increased fruit yield
- Fruit quality
- Indeterminate cultivars for green house production
- Resistance to disease (Wilt,Tospo virus,TLCV, blight, anthracnose, mosaic and root knot nematode)
- Resistance to insects (Fruit borer, whitefly)
- Resistance to abiotic stresses
- Cold set varieties
- Hot set varieties
- Drought tolerance
- Salt tolerance
- Low temperature germination and growth
- Chilling injury tolerance
- Herbicide tolerance
Cytogenetics
- Tomato is a true diploid with 2n=24. Haploids, tetraploids, trisomics and monosomics have also been produced in the tomato.
|
Last modified: Monday, 2 April 2012, 11:29 PM
Participants