Performance of Cherry Tomato (Solanum Lycopersicum var. cerasiforme) Genotypes for Yield and Fruit Quality in Ethiopia

Abstract

Cherry tomato [Solanum lycopersicum (L.) var. cerasiforme Mill.] is small fruits with a bright red color resembling a cherry and having an excellent taste, sweetness and juiciness. So far, there is no cherry tomato variety was released or registered in Ethiopia. Therefore, a field experiment was conducted at Melkassa, Kulumsa, Fogera, Woramit, Adami-Tulu and Koka testing sites during off-seasons of 2021 and 2022, using irrigation to identify better adapted varieties, with high yield and good quality for national production in Ethiopia. Six cherry tomato genotypes (Sarang, Wonhong No. 1, Wonhong No. 2, Wonhong No. 3, Wonhong No. 4 and Wonhong No. 5) that were imported from National Institute of Horticulture and Herbal Sciences (NIHHS), Rural Development Administration, Republic of Korea were laid out in Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three replications. The overall analysis of variance across locations and years showed non-significant difference among the genotypes for marketable and total yields though Wonhong No.3 gave higher marketable (24.49 t/ha) and total (26.19 t/ha) yields. However, separate analysis for each site has revealed significant differences among genotypes at Melkassa, Koka, Adami-Tulu and Fogera, unlike at Kulumsa and Woramit that didn’t show significant differences for both marketable and total yields in 2021. But there was significant difference during 2022 at Melkassa. Similarly, there was significant differences (P<0.05) among these genotypes for fruit number per plant, average fruit weight, number of fruits per cluster, plant height, skin thickness, juice volume of fruit and total soluble solid. Non-significant differences were observed for number of clusters per plant and number of locules. In general, Wonhong Nos.3 and 5 had higher yields and good qualities for productions across the tested locations and years. Consequently, Wonhong No.3 (designated as Jorgie-1) was released for its higher yield, non-crack, good TSS and color, while Wonhong No.5 (renamed as Jorgie-2) was preferred for its smaller fruit size, with reasonable yield and quality (TSS, color & non-crack). Both varieties are officially released in 2023 season for production in different agro-ecologies of Ethiopia, and they are believed to add more economic and nutritional values for the tomato producers (farmers) and the consumers. They can support the intensification of tomato cultivation in peri-urban and urban agriculture, where demands and thus government focus are increasingly growing.

Key words: Cherry tomato varieties, total and marketable yields, TSS, fruit color

DOI: 10.7176/ALST/101-01

Publication date: January 31^st 2025