Effect of emasculation and pollination timing on hybrid seed production of tomato ( <i>Solanum lycopersicum</i> L. cv. Khumal hybrid 2) in Kaski district, Nepal

Hybrid tomato varieties possess significant economic potential, and their seed production is most effectively facilitated through pollination, making it the most practical and cost-effective approach. The research was conducted at the Agriculture Knowledge Centre, Kaski, Nepal, to evaluate the effect of emasculation and pollination timing on hybrid seed production of tomatoes, considering yield and seed parameters. The male line (HRD7) and female line (HRA14) were chosen to produce the variety Khumal Hybrid 2. The experiment was carried out from March to September 2024 in a one-factor randomized complete block design (RCBD) with five treatments and four replications, where treatments included T1 (morning emasculation followed by immediate pollination), T2 (evening emasculation followed by immediate pollination), T3 (evening emasculation followed by pollination after 12 hours), T4 (evening emasculation followed by pollination after 18 hours), T5 (evening emasculation followed by pollination after 24 hours). The results revealed that the timing of emasculation and pollination significantly influenced fruit, seed, and early seedling characteristics. Treatment T5 recorded the highest fruit set percentage (40.27%), fruit weight (90.09 g), fruit diameter (5.78 cm), seed number per fruit (57.36), and seed weight per fruit (0.2 g). While T4 and T3 had moderate fruit set percentage and fruit weight, lowest values were generally observed in T1 and T2. Similarly, the T5 showed maximum germination percentage (87.5%), number of leaves (12.06), root length (4.96 cm), and shoot length (9.10 cm). In conclusion, evening emasculation followed by pollination after 24 hours is recommended for superior fruit set percentage, fruit quality, seed yield, and seedling parameters.