Assessing genetic potential of tomato breeding: a multivariate analysis of tomato F1 hybrids

Abstract

Abstract Tomato breeding success depends on identifying superior genotypes with high yield stability and desirable agronomic traits. This study evaluated genetic variability, heritability, trait associations, and heterosis expression in a tomato population consisting of 122 genotypes, including 102 F1 hybrid lines, 15 parental lines, and 5 commercial checks. The experiment was conducted using an augmented design with four blocks. Seventeen quantitative traits were measured, including vegetative growth, reproductive traits, and yield components. Significant genetic variation was observed among genotypes for all traits. Heritability estimates were generally high (H 2 > 50 %), with the highest values recorded for fruit thickness (99.60 %), productive bunches per plant (96.95 %), and number of flowers per bunch (94.47 %). Yield showed high heritability (71.61 %) and moderate genetic variability, indicating suitability for direct selection. Correlation analysis revealed strong positive associations between yield and reproductive efficiency traits, particularly fruit weight, productive bunches per plant, and number of fruits per bunch. Path analysis confirmed the number of fruits per bunch (0.88), fruit weight (0.74), and productive bunches per plant (0.45) as the strongest direct contributors to yield performance. Heterosis assessment identified several crosses with superior performance. Genotype G13/G5 showed the highest heterosis and heterobeltiosis for yield (78.47 % and 57.23 %, respectively), followed by G5/G13 and G5/G3. These results highlight the potential for exploiting hybrid vigor in selected parental combinations. Overall, the study demonstrates that reproductive traits are key determinants of yield expression in tomato and provides strong evidence supporting direct selection and hybrid improvement strategies. The identified superior genotypes represent promising breeding material for the development of high-yielding and commercially competitive tomato cultivars.

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