Assessment of Diversity and Genetic Parameters for Yield and Quality Traits in Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.)

Germplasm evalution of 15 genotypes of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) was carried out during Rabi 2020-21. The experiment laid in Randomized Block Design with three replications examined genetic variability, heritability and genetic advances. Phenotypic variance was greater than genotypic variation for all characteristics. The studied traits showed a wide range of variance, which is quite intriguing to tomato breeders. The high magnitude of PCV and moderate GCV were found for total soluble solids (TSS) (21.62 and 19.71) and High heritability coupled with high genetic advance was observed for lycopene content (98.67%), titrable acidity (97.23%) and dry fruit weight (91.67%). The Mahalanobis D² statistics revealed significant genetic diversity among accessions, dividing the studied genotypes into five clusters using Tocher's method based on D² values. Cluster II emerged as the largest group, comprising 6 genotypes whereas highest magnitude of intra-cluster distance was observed in cluster III (247.56). The investigation of genetic variability and divergences in the available genotypes would serve as preliminary information in devising further breeding programmes for effective selection of superior genotypes of tomato.