Selection of mini tomatoes in the tomato seed collection of the Federal University of Goiás

Abstract

Tomato is a vegetable originally from the Andes in South America, first domesticated in Mexico and later in Europe. The domestication process provoked genetic variability loss and the genetic base narrowing of the cultivated tomato. The seed collections are a conservation method that promotes species preservation and food security. Studies with morphological descriptors provide knowledge of the variability of accessions, allowing better management of germplasm banks, favoring the identification of suitable parents for the formation of populations through plant improvement. Thus, this study aimed to establish genetic parameters for agronomic traits and select mini tomatoes accessions through selection indexes. The experimental design consisted of 14 accessions of mini tomatoes in randomized complete blocks with three replications. The two central plants of each plot were analyzed. The evaluations carried out used morphological traits included in the methodology proposed by [23]. Selection indexes were used to choose the best accessions based on the evaluated characters. The base index of [22] and the classic index proposed by [32] and [14] present the most significant selection gain for the yield trait. Accession UFG 57 showed superior genotypes through all direct and indirect selection methods.