Genetic variability in tomato grown in autumn season

Abstract

Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) is a popular vegetable all over the world because of its high nutritive value and versatile uses. It is a rich source of vitamin A and C. It is eaten as salad and cooked as vegetable. It is the second largest crop among the processed vegetables. It is processed into various forms such as juice, ketchup, paste puree etc. In self-pollinated crops like tomato, improvement in yield and quality through hybrid breeding programme depends upon the extent of variability for desirable traits within the available germplasm. Therefore, the estimation of variability parameters for economically important characters is essential to formulate strategies for crop improvement. Variability studies supplemented with knowledge of heritability and genetic advance for a particular character provide information about the possible improvement that can be brought about through selection.