GENETICS OF SEMIDETERMINATE GROWTH HABIT IN TOMATO

The objective of this study was to elucidate the genetic control of the semideterminate growth habit in tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.). A semideterminate tomato line was crossed with determinate and indeterminate lines; their F1, F2, and backcrosses were grown; and the growth habit recorded and analyzed. Plants with six or more inflorescences on the main stem were defined as semideterminate, while those with fewer were defined as determinate. The F2 and backcross to determinate were bimodal, indicating a single recessive gene for semideterminate, which was denoted as sdt. The goodness-of-fit chi square for a single recessive gene model was 88% and 69% for F2 and backcross generations, respectively. In the cross between semideterminate and indeterminate types, the results indicated control by two genes, sp and sdt, with the sp+ indeterminate type epistatic over semideterminate. The goodness-of-fit to this model was 70% and 82% for F2 and backcross generations, respectively.