Breeding for high yield and quality has been the main criteria in tomato, however the intensive cultivation inside a poly-house with fertigation and limited temperature control facilities is quite different than taking a crop under open conditions. I am interested in development of cultivars which are suitable for growing under poly-house. The temperature extremes during winter can reach as low as 0-2 degree Celsius while during summer 43-45 degree Celsius in open conditions. An average protected structure can optimally give a +/- 10 degree control under Indian conditions.
Since we will be using vertical space, it important that the plant type should be indeterminate in nature. As mentioned in the question, the crop passes through extreme low and high temperatures during different crop stages, the genotype ought to have low and high temperature stress tolerance. Since the crop will be grown in the same piece of land year after year, there will be problems of nematodes and other soil borne diseases and the variety developed for protected cultivation should have resistance to these stresses. Normally in polyhouses/ green houses, fruit thinning is done for proper development of the cluster, and if variety possesses self pruning gene, labour can be saved.
Thanks Dr. Dhaliwal, I appreciate your inputs. I would like to know about the source of useful germplasm for the mentioned traits. Whether there is sufficient diversity among indeterminate types for other traits such as nematode resistance, self pruning, etc.
There are many sources. One important source is Tomato Genetic Resource Center, University of California, Davis. AVRDC- The World Vegetable Center is an other important source. Regarding diversity, most of the diversity is represented by the wild relatives and cultivated types represent only 5% of the total diversity. Indeterminate types will have still lesser diversity.
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