Original scientific paper
Comparative Assessment of Adaptability and Agronomic Traits of Seventeen Tomato Varieties on Coarse-Textured Soil in Tropical Dry and Rainy Seasons
Agatha I. Atugwu
; Department of Crop Science, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria
Odirichi N. Imoh
; Department of Crop Science, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria; Graduate School of Environmental & Life Science, Okayama University, Kita-ku, Okayama, Japan
Adaobi L. Nnadi
; Department of Crop Science, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria; International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, Ibadan, Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria
Uchechukwu P. Chukwudi
; Department of Crop Science, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria; Department of Crop Science, North-West University, Mmabatho, South Africa
Sunday E. Obalum
; Department of Soil Science, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria; Department of Soil & Environmental Management, Prince Abubakar Audu University, Anyigba, Kogi State, Nigeria
Vincent N. Onyia
; Department of Crop Science, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria
Kenji Kato
; Graduate School of Environmental & Life Science, Okayama University, Kita-ku, Okayama, Japan
Abstract
Though tomato is sensitive to humidity, tomato lines introduced to humid tropical environments are rarely assessed for relative performance in the prevailing seasons. The agronomic traits of 17 tomato varieties grown on a sandy-loam soil in the derived savannah were assessed in successive dry and rainy seasons. The varieties generally performed poorer in the dry than the rainy season, mostly showing incongruent trends in the two seasons. ‘Ekwunato’ and ‘Tomato Mmiri’ were the tallest with the most nodes in the dry and rainy seasons, respectively. ‘Ekwunato’ and ‘Yolince’ attained 1st flowering earliest, whereas ‘Ekwunato’ and NACGRAB-5 produced the most flowers and fruits in the dry and rainy seasons, respectively; ‘Starke Aryes’ had the fewest in both seasons. However, ‘Ronata’ and NACGRAB-9 gave the highest fruit weight per plant (3892 and 3820 g, respectively) in the dry season, before ‘Tropimech’ (3245 g). NACGRAB-9 gave the highest (8,475g) weight in the rainy season, before ‘Ekwunato’ and ‘Ronata’ (7632 and 7513 g, respectively). Positive character associations prevailed among numbers of nodes, leaves, trusses, flowers and fruits per plant in both seasons. Numbers of days to 1st and 50% flowering were negatively correlated to the number of fruits per plant. However, fruit weight per plant had no correlations with the other traits. ‘Ekwunato’ and NACGRAB-5 could serve as gene donors in breeding for enhanced flowering/fruiting in dry and rainy seasons, respectively. To increase tomato fruit yields, NACGRAB-9 or ‘Ronata’ is recommended, otherwise ‘Tropimech’ and ‘Ekwunato’ should be grown specifically in dry and rainy seasons, respectively.
Keywords
Solanum lycopersicum; high humidity; tropical seasons; germplasm assessment; fruit yield
Hrčak ID:
308160
URI
Publication date:
22.9.2023.
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