Abstract

                                Hybridisation work involving six parents of tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill) was taken up at the Department of Horticulture, Agricultural College and Research Institute, Madurai during 1987 to 1988. The five crosses in F1 and F2 and the six parents were evaluated for mean performance, heterosis and residual heterosis. The parents LE 3, LE 1059 and LE 1036 were found to be good combiner as male and female parent for all the economic characters studied. The F1 hybrid of cross E (LE 3 x LE 1036) was the outstanding giving highest yield of 1.6 Kg per plant with the high relative heterosis estimate of 29.8 per cent closely followed by cross B (LE 3 x LE 1052) which recorded 1.4 Kg per plant with the heterotic estimate of 10.1 per cent.

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