1University of Liberia, P. 0. Box 10–9020, 1000, Monrovia, 10 Liberia
2CSIR-Crops Research Institute, Horticulture Division, P.O.BOX 3785, Kumasi, Ghana
3KNUST, Faculty of Agric., Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, Kumasi, Ghana
4Faculty of Agriculture Education, University of Education, Winneaba, P. O. Box 40, Asante Mampong, Ghana
The tomato sector in Ghana has failed to realize its full potential, in terms of attaining yields comparable to other countries, sustaining its processing plants and improving livelihoods of households involved in tomato production. The need therefore, to evaluate some introduced tomato varieties in order to identify varieties with good attributes and make recommendations to tomato farmers cannot be overemphasized. This study thus looked at some tomato varieties from the USA for genetic diversity and adaptability to environmental conditions in Ghana with focus in the Ashanti region. The tomato varieties showed one to two growth patterns; determinate and semi determinate. Based on the number of plants per plot, marketable fruits, average fruit weight and plant height, tomato varieties Shasta and CRI-P00 were rated high in terms of adaptability. Low disease infections and pest pressure were also observed during the growing season and this may be due to good agronomic practices carried out on the field.
Tomato, adaptability, genetic diversity, yield
