Induced dwarf mutants in tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum var. cerasiforme). I. performance of development and fruit traits

Dry seeds of a tomato cultivar (Lycopersicon esculentum var. cerasiforme) were subjected to differential and combined mutagenic treatments with gamma rays and ethyl methanesulfonate (EMS) to induce mutations. Typical dwarf mutants were the most striking mutants obtained at 10 krad + 1% EMS treatment in M2 and M3 generations. In M4 generation twenty dwarf mutants possessing distinct variability for morphological and fruit characteristics were selected and their progenies were evaluated over a period of 2 years. Significant variability in fruit size, fruits per plant, seeds per fruit and harvest index was observed among the mutants. Significant correlation existed between fruit yield per plant and harvest index. (author). 8 refs., 1 fig., 2 tabs