Genetic control of fruit quality characters in the segregating generations of interspecific crosses and metabolic profiling of the fruits of promising segregants of tomato

Abstract

Genetic control of ten fruit quality characters in segregating generations of the interspecific crosses (involving two wild relatives viz., Solanum pimpinellifolium and Solanum lycopersicum var. cerasiformae) was determined through skewness and kurtosis utilising mean data of F₂ to F₅ generations. Complementary gene action with fewer number of segregating genes was registered for total soluble solids (TSS) in cross 1 (Alisa Craig Aft × Solanum pimpinellifolium), reducing sugar (RS) in cross 1 and cross 2 (Berika × Solanum lycopersicum var. cerasiformae), ascorbic acid content (AA) in cross 1 and cross 3 (BCT 115 dg × Solanum lycopersicum var. cerasiformae), lycopene content (LYC) in cross 3, total anthocyanin content (TAC), total phenol content (TPC) and total flavonoid content (TFC) in cross 1. TSS in cross 3, total sugar (TS), AA and β carotene content (βC) in cross 2 and TFC in cross 3 registered complementary gene action with more number of genes. Duplicate gene action with less number of genes was recorded for LYC in cross 1 and TS in cross 3. Presence of duplicate gene interaction with more number of genes was recorded for RS, LYC and TPC in cross-2, tritratable acidity (TA) in all the three crosses and βC in cross 3. Metabolic profiling in the fruits of the promising segregants and the parents quantified 21 different metabolites which could be broadly categorised into sugar, amino acid, organic compound, organic acid, lipid and organo-silicon compound. The compendium provided in this investigation could be applied to isolate functionally rich tomato genotypes.