Heterosis and Combining Ability Studies for Some Vegetative Characters in Tomato (Lycopersicon Esculentum Mill.)

Heterosis and combining ability has been studied for plant height, number of branches and plant dry weight in eight varieties of tomato. In the twenty eight hybrids thus obtained (reciprocals pooled) heterosis as expressed over the superior parent is observed in fourteen hybrids for height, in eighteen hybrids for number of branches and in twenty hybrids for dry weight. The performance of a variety gives only a general idea with regard to its general combining ability. The earliar observations that crosses between determinate and indeterminate varieties on the whole show greater amount of heterosis for vegetative characters as compared to the crosses within each group has been supported by this study.