SELECTION OF HIGH-YIELDING STABLE GENOTYPES OF CHERRY TOMATO (Solanum lycopersicum var. cerasiforme) THROUGH MULTILOCATION TRIALS

Introduction

Cherry tomato (Solanum lycopersicum var. cerasiforme) is a nutrient-rich vegetable exotic to Bangladesh, where only a limited number of varieties are currently available. The identification of high-yielding and stable genotypes is the key to increasing agricultural productivity and achieving food security in this country.

Methods

An investigation was carried out with ten exotic and two released cherry tomato genotypes to identify high-yielding, stable genotypes through multilocation trials. The study was conducted at three locations in Bangladesh, viz. Dinajpur, Rangpur, and Panchagarh, during the period from November 2023 to May 2024, in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications.

Results

A genotype–environment interaction (GEI) was observed in the mixed-effect model for all variables except fruit length. Based on the multi-trait genotype–ideotype distance index (MGIDI), genotypes L13 and L14 in Dinajpur and Rangpur and L13 and L09 in Panchagarh were found to be the most promising. To further evaluate yield stability across environments, GGE biplot analysis was performed, which revealed L13 as the most stable and high-yielding genotype, followed by L14 and L09, and Dinajpur was the most suitable environment for stable yield performance. Moreover, molecular characterization using seven simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers classified the genotypes into two distinct populations. Notably, the phenotypically stable genotypes L13, L14, and L09 were genetically distinct from the released varieties BU-2 and BU-5.

Conclusion

The high-yielding stable genotypes L13, L14, and L09 could be taken into consideration for registration as cherry tomato varieties in Bangladesh.