VARIATION IN CHARACTERISTICS OF AGRICULTURAL INTEREST WITHIN A NATIVE TOMATO (Solanum lycopersicum L.) POPULATION

Abstract

México is a country with a great diversity of wild tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) populations. They have been, however, little studied and so it is necessary to explore and learn their genetic potential as a germ plasm source for improving productivity, tolerance to drought and salinity, and plant health problems. With the aim of determining genetic variability in 120 tomato families derived from ‘Chino’, a native population in the state of Puebla, and based on characteristics of agronomic interest, they were planted under greenhouse conditions and characterized 60 d after transplant. The greenhouse was covered with an aphid resistant mesh. Analyses of variance detected differences (P ≤ 0.05) in all six variables measured. The main component analysis showed that two variables (general grading and stem diameter) described 59.7
% of the morphological variability. The graphic representation of the two main components allowed us to identify six family groups, distributed in all four quadrants. Groups I and VI concentrated the families outstanding in stem diameter, plant height, number of fruit clusters, and healthy and uniform plants. Group II included 84 % of the total good families; and Groups II and IV integrated families ranging from regular to bad.