Department of Plant Breeding, G. B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar, 263 145
1Present address—Department of Horticulture.
*Paper No. 1162 published under the Journal Series of Experiment Station, G. B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar, 263 145.
Marked heterosis in many crosses was observed for most of the quantitative characters except locules per fruit and equatorial perimeter of fruit. The high frequency of heterotic combinations for yield and yield contributing characters establish the occurrence of heterosis as a general phenomenon in tomato rather than an isolated case. A F1 hybrid Mobaci × EPH 7 gave an yield of 5⋅87 kg per plant as compared to 2⋅72 kg in Pusa Ruby the check parent. A clear cut correspondence between extent of genetic divergence and heterosis for yield could not be established in the material under study. This may be due to the highly domesticated and selected nature of varieties used in the hybridisation programme.
