Agricultural and Biological Research

Combining ability analysis to identify superior F1 hybrids for quality improvement in tomato through interspecific hybridization (Solanum section lycopersicum)

K. G. Kanjariya* and A. Parihar

Combining ability and gene effects for quality traits in tomato were studied by involving fourty cross combinations obtained from crossing five diverse lines with eight testers in line × tester mating fashion. The analysis of variance revealed that the variance due to line × tester effects were highly significant for moisture content, total soluble solids, titratable acidity, ascorbic acid and phenol content under study. Combining ability analysis revealed that magnitude of Specific Combining Ability (SCA) variance was greater than General Combining Ability (GCA) variance suggesting the predominance of non-additive gene action for all quality traits. The degree of dominance revealed that over dominance is the cause of heterosis for these traits. Based on GCA effects of parents, the lines ToLCV RES-3 and DHT-14-8 and the testers EC-520058, IIHR-1966, ATL-10-7, IIHR-1966 and IIHR-2101 were good general combiners for most of the traits under study. The crosses viz., AT-3 × EC-589496 were found to be superior specific combiners for pericarp thickness. The quality traits, the cross AT-4 × IIHR-2101 for moisture content, AT-3 × ATL-10-7 for TSS, (total soluble sugar and titratable acidity), AT-4 × ATL-10-9 for reducing sugar, ToLCV RES-3 × ATL-10-9 for ascorbic acid, GT-2 × IIHR-2101 for lycopene and DHT-14-8 × IIHR-2101 for Phenol.