| Abstract: | Appropriate knowledge of the parental cultivars is a pre-requisite for a successful breeding program. This studycharacterized fruit yield, quality attributes, and molecular variations of ten tomato cultivars during three consecutive generations under greenhouse conditions. Peto 86, Castle Rock, and Red Star cultivars showed the highestfruit yield (kg/plant), total phenolic compounds (TPC), and sap acidity. Principal component analysis categorizedthe evaluated fruit yield into three groups based on their quality attributes. A robust positive correlation appearedamong traits inside each group. A positive correlation was likewise noticed between the first and the secondgroups. However, a negative correlation was detected between the first, the second and the third group. Molecularprofiling, using seven inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR) primers, produced 60 loci, including 49 polymorphicloci. The molecular analysis also pinpointed the highest genetic similarity (0.92) between P73 and Moneymaker,while the lowest genetic similarity (0.46) was observed between Castle Rock and Moneymaker. The cultivarsP73 and Moneymaker showed the lowest genetic distance (2.24), while the highest genetic distance (5.92) wasobserved between Super Marmand and Peto86, on the one hand, and between Castle Rock and Moneymaker,on the other hand. The chemical analysis of fruit sap indicated the highest levels of TPC, total flavonoids, anthocyanin, ascorbic acid and total soluble solids in Peto 86 and Castle Rock cultivars. Phylogeny analysis of tomatocultivars based on morphological and molecular attributes indicated four distinct clades. Peto 86, Castle Rock, and Red star cultivars can be recommended for the tomato hybridization breeding programs in the future, with othertomato cultivars as potentially high-yielding parents. |
