Characterization of F2 generation tomato plants and marker assisted selection against tomato spotted wilt virus (tswv) and tomato yellow leaf curl virus (tylcv)

Identifying the morphological characteristics of genetic material such as leaf, flower, yield, and fruit shape is crucial to genetic diversity assessment. Agronomic and morphological traits of 47 tomato plants in F2 generation were assessed, as well as their resistance to Tomato Spotted Wilt Virus (TSWV) and Tomato Yellow Leaf Curl Virus (TYLCV). The highest average fruit weight of the tomato lines in F2 generation was measured in the plants of the line with pink beef fruit type (G300), while the lowest was measured in the plants of the lines with round (cocktail) (S15) and ovate (V30, V31 and V32) fruit types. The highest fruit flesh firmness was measured as 2.74 kg/cm2 in F2 plants of line S230 with single red fruit type. The highest SSC (soluble solids content) was measured in F2 plants of line V31 and S230 with 6.93% and 6.73%, respectively. The longest internode was determined in F2 plants of the line with single red (S230) fruit type, while the highest stem diameter was measured in plants of the line with pink (G300) fruit type. Despite the variation in leaf color, G300 and S230 plants have potato-shaped leaves, while the other lines have tomato-shaped leaves. There were 2 homozygote resistant plants and 8 heterozygote resistant plants among the F2 plants. Among the F2 plants, 2 plants were homozygote resistant and 8 plants were heterozygote resistant to TYLCV. Heterozygote resistance to TSWV was detected only in 6 plants of line V30 and no resistance to TSWV was detected in plants of other lines. The F3 lines obtained by selfing because of the study can be the material of the breeding programmes in the coming years and testing studies against biotic and abiotic factors should be carried out. The results obtained here should be reinforced with further studies such as the determination of post-harvest preservation storage and shelf-life potentials.