Genetic Architecture of Yield and Associated Traits in the F₂ Population of Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.)

Abstract

Genetic variability generated through segregation provides an effective opportunity to identify superior recombinants for tomato improvement. The present investigation was conducted using the F₂ population derived from the cross IIHR-2761 × IIHR-2725. The experiment was conducted during Rabi 2025 at the Main Agricultural Research Station, University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad. A total of 175 F₂ plants were evaluated for ten quantitative traits associated with growth and yield. Moderate to high variability was observed for most of the traits studied. High PCV was recorded for number of fruits per cluster (22.99%), number of fruits per plant (25.17%) and fruit yield per plant (27.09%), whereas moderate GCV was observed for number of branches per plant (12.69%), number of clusters per plant (12.62%) and fruit yield per plant (19.91%). High broad-sense heritability was observed for plant height (98.39%), days to maturity (93.04%), number of branches per plant (79.49%) and number of clusters per plant (68.45%), while high genetic advance as per cent of the mean was recorded for fruit yield per plant (30.15%), number of branches per plant (23.31%) and number of clusters per plant (21.50%), indicating favourable prospects for selection. Frequency-distribution analysis revealed both positive and negative skewness among the studied traits, suggesting differential gene action governing their inheritance, whereas most traits exhibited platykurtic distributions, indicating polygenic control. Several superior transgressive segregants beyond the mean ±1 SD and mean ±2 SD thresholds were identified for yield and its associated traits, particularly number of fruits per cluster, number of fruits per plant and fruit yield per plant. The identified segregants provide valuable breeding material for developing high-yielding tomato cultivars through selection in advanced generations.