Studies on genetic variability in four biparental mating populations of tomato showed that high PCV, GCV was noticed for the traits like number of fruiting clusters per plant, number of primary branches, number of fruits per plant, locules per fruit and fruit yield per plant, indicating scope for selection. Association of high heritability with moderate to high genetic advance for plant height, number of primary branches, number of fruiting clusters, fruit shape index, locules per fruit and pericarp thickness, suggested that these characters are under the control of additive genes and can be improved by visual selection. Population G/J exhibited high PCV, GCV, heritability and genetic advance for main yield attributing traits, whereas, J/G for fruit related characters. Other two populations J/S and S/J did not differ much between themselves. Populations (J/G and G/J) involving the parents J and G exhibited the highest between and within family variance for many traits, indicating the potentiality of these cross combinations to release variability and there by scope for selection. Whereas, the population S/J showed the lowest between and within family variance for fruit related traits.
Tomato, Solanum lycopersicon, biparental mating population, Genetic variability
