Stability and breeding potential of tomato hybrids

Commercial tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) hybrids can be a good germplasm for obtaining new tomato inbred lines. The present study was aimed to investigate the stability of commercial F-1 hybrids under climatic conditions of highlands, to estimate genetic parameters, and evaluate the breeding potential of F-1 hybrids based on the agronomic performance of its F-3 progeny. We employed a breeding scheme based on pedigree selection for the obtainment of 49 F-3 families. Significant differences were found in most of the traits evaluated in both F-1 and F-3 generations, while in the F-2 population only one variable showed significant differences. Heritability ranged from 0.07 to 0.29 for F-1, and from 0.16 to 0.45 for F-3. Most of the F-1 hybrids exhibited values of stability across seasons in at least one trait. However, 'Loreto' and 'Reserva' only exhibited a high stability for yield. Genetic gains ranged from -8.40 to 72.95. Yield per plant was the traits with the highest gain. Based on genetic gains obtained by the F-3 progeny, we concluded that 'Cid', 'Espartaco' and 'Loreto' have a high breeding potential for yield and other traits, which could be exploited by public tomato breeding programs.