Six field trials were carried out to evaluate processing tomato cultivars in four counties in the State of Goiás, Brazil (Anápolis, Jataí, Porangatú and Santa Isabel, in 1990, and Anápolis and Porangatu, in 1991). The experiment was conducted as a randomized block design, with four replications, and plots of 80 plants in 1990 and 70 plants in 1991. The plant cycle was shorter in Porangatu (1990), where temperatures were higher than Anápolis. In Porangatu, plant flowering began 35 to 41 days after sowing, with the harvesting period starting 38 days later. Cultivars Petomech, IPA 6, and Improved Topmech, followed by IPA 5 and Agrocica 72, were high yielding and showed a high fruit firmness. Cultivars Roma VFN, Rossol and Agrocica 08, were also high yielding but produced fruits unsuitable for long distance transportation. With the exception of cultivar Itaparica, which showed the best adaptation to less favourable enviroments, all genotypes were responsive to enviroment improvement. Higher stability to environmental variation was observed in cultivars Agrocica 33, Calmec VF, IPA 6, Rio Fuego, Santa Adélia, Topmec Melhorado, and UC 82.
Lycopersicon esculentum; breeding; yield; adaptability; stability; genotype x environment interaction