Agronomic potential of mini tomato hybrids with determinate and indeterminate growth habit

ABSTRACT:

A few studies on the influence of the growth habit on the agronomic performance of mini tomato hybrids are available. Thus, the objective of this study was to compare the agronomic potential of mini tomatoes with indeterminate versus determinate growth habit. The experimental design was randomized blocks with six treatments (Rosso, Giallo, Verdi, Arancio, Candy and Mascot) and five replications. The seeding was carried out on February 27^th, 2012 in polystyrene trays. After 37 days from sowing, seedlings were transplanted into plastic pots of five liters. We evaluated the number of fruits/plant; fruit number/m²; production/plant¹ and production/m². Significant effect was detected among the hybrids through F test (α= 0.05). Hybrids of determinate growth habit (Rosso and Giallo) showed higher agronomic performance compared to hybrids of indeterminate growth habit (Verdi, Arancio, Candy and Mascot). The hybrid Rosso showed the best agronomic potential compared to the evaluated hybrids.

Keywords:
Solanum lycopersicon; growing habit; yield; self-pruning gen.