ETHIDIUM BROMIDE INDUCED VARIABILITY IN TOMATO (SOLANIUM LYCOPERSICUM) (NGB-01371) AT M3

ABSTRACT Tomato production in Nigeria is limited by poor productivity and low yield. The variable seeds of M2 generation already treated with 0.5% of ethidium bromide were collected at the breeding unit of the Department of plant science and biotechnology and were sown in germination baskets. The seedlings were raised in the nursery for three weeks after which they were transplanted to the field on a Im by 1m bed and Im between beds with three replicates; with each treatment containing nine plants spaced at 50 cm by 50cm inter row in a Randomized Completely Block Design (RCBD). Five plants were tagged for each treatment per block and the following parameters were measured: plant height, numbers of branches, Days of flowering, Days to first fruit set, numbers of clusters per plants, numbers of fruit per cluster were collected. At maturity stage, data were collected on average fruit yield, pericarp thickness, number of locules per plant, number of fruit per plant, and fruit yield per plant. On the mean statistic, T1 had the highest number of plant height at 103.33, T4 had the highest number of main branches at 20.47, T2 was the first to flowered at 34.20 days, T4 was the first to set fruit at 38.60 days, T4 had the highest number of cluster at 8.93, T3 had the highest number of fruit per cluster at 4.93, T2 had the highest number of fruit per plant at 32.33, T4 had the highest number of average fruit weight at 20.93, TI had the highest number of locules per plant at 3.27, T4 had the highest number of pericarp thickness at 15.00, T3 had the highest fruit yield at 397. Analysis of variance revealed that treatment was significant for all traits and replication was significant for all the traits except for number of branches, number of fruit per plant and average fruit weight. PCV was higher than GCV for all the traits, this indicate that the traits of the mutant has high environmental influence. The result showed that selection should be carryout until yield stability is achieved. Treatment 3 with highest fruit yield could be cross together with treatment 1 that also had higher number of fruit yield to produce a superior genotype.