THE EFFECTS OF THE SIZE, POSITION AND MATURATION PERIOD OF INFLORESCENCES AND FRUITS ON ABNORMAL PIGMENTATION IN THE TOMATO VARIETY POTENTATE

A modification to an earlier classification of pigmentation abnormalities, enabling it to be used for varieties other than Potentate, is discussed. It is shown for Potentate that the proportion of fruits giving uniform ripening colour declines with increasing fruit weight, while the proportion of Grade C fruits steadily increases. The occurrence of Grade A fruits, however, is maximal in fruits of 80 to 120 g. The occurrence of pigmentation abnormalities was shown to be independent of the length of the maturation period of the fruit. It was found that Grade A fruits occurred with greater frequency in fruits developing on upper inflorescences, while Grade C fruits occurred more frequently on lower inflorescences. The number of fruits in an inflorescence was shown to have no consistent relation to pigmentation abnormalities, nor was there any relation between pigmentation and the position of fruits within the inflorescence. Frequent examples of an antithetic relation between the occurrence of Grades A and C symptoms are noted, suggesting that conditions that are favourable for the development of the one are unfavourable for the development of the other.