Randomized field trial reveals high heritability and genetic advance for yield traits in cherry tomato germplasm, suggesting strong potential for targeted breeding.
Key Points
To assess genetic variability, heritability, and genetic advance across 22 horticultural characters in cherry tomato germplasm to identify promising lines for crop improvement.
Evaluated 15 cherry tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L. var. cerasiforme) germplasm lines during 2023 at Biotech KISAN Hub in Tura, Meghalaya.
Used a randomised block design with three replications to measure 22 horticultural traits.
Estimated phenotypic and genotypic coefficients of variation, broad-sense heritability, and genetic advance as a percentage of the mean.
Phenotypic coefficients of variation exceeded genotypic coefficients for all traits, with fruit weight showing the highest phenotypic variation (39.16%) and fruit yield per plant showing the highest genotypic variation (36.72%).
Broad-sense heritability ranged from 28.73% to 94.54%, reaching its maximum in pericarp thickness.
Genetic advance as a percentage of the mean ranged from 6.11% to 71.43%, peaking in fruit yield per plant, whereas days to first harvest had the lowest phenotypic (4.43%) and genotypic (3.62%) variation.