TOMATO WILD RELATIVES AS A SOURCE OF GERMPLASM FOR BREEDING OF THE SPECIES

Abstract

Due to reduced genetic variability of modern tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) cultivars, wild tomatoes are an important source for genes of agronomic interest. These traits include resistance to biotic and abiotic factors and provide a basis for the genetic improvement of the cultivated species. This study characterized morphological and agronomical traits from wild Solanum accessions related to cultivated tomato. Forty-six accessions of nine wild species of tomato were evaluated in a completely randomized experimental design under greenhouse conditions. Thirteen quantitative and four qualitative traits were evaluated. Significant differences were found among species for all the recorded traits, and mean comparisons showed that those differences were distributed across all species. Cluster analysis formed three clearly differentiated groups. S. lycopersicoides and S. ochranthum showed the highest solids content, hence both species are useful for improving genetically this quality trait in tomato.