Genetic Studies in Cherry Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L. var. Cerasiforme) Germplasm Lines under West Garo Hills, Meghalaya

Abstract

Cherry tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L. var. cerasiforme) germplasm maintained in West Garo Hills, Meghalaya, represents a useful source of morphological variability for selection. The present investigation evaluated 15 germplasm lines during 2023 at the Demonstration unit, Biotech KISAN Hub, Tura, using a randomised block design with three replications. Twenty-two horticultural characters were assessed to estimate phenotypic and genotypic coefficients of variation, broad-sense heritability and genetic advance. Analysis of variance revealed highly significant differences among the germplasm lines for the characters studied, indicating substantial variability. Phenotypic coefficients of variation were higher than the corresponding genotypic coefficients for all characters. Fruit weight recorded the highest phenotypic coefficient of variation (39.16%), while fruit yield per plant recorded the highest genotypic coefficient of variation (36.72%). The lowest phenotypic coefficient of variation was observed for days to first fruit harvest (4.43%), whereas the lowest genotypic coefficient of variation was also recorded for days to first fruit harvest (3.62%). Broad-sense heritability ranged from 28.73% to 94.54%, with the highest estimate for pericarp thickness. Genetic advance as a percentage of the mean ranged from 6.11 to 71.43%, with the highest value for fruit yield per plant. The observed combination of variability, heritability and genetic advance indicates useful scope for selection of promising cherry tomato germplasm under West Garo Hills conditions.