Genetic divergence in round tomato germplasm: optimization and hierarchical methods

The characterization of germplasm banks is essential for successful breeding programs. There is no consensus on which multivariate analysis method is the most appropriate to characterize a round tomato germplasm bank. This study aimed to characterize the genetic divergence between tomato accessions to assess whether there is agreement between the hierarchical and optimization methods and to recommend promising combinations for obtaining hybrids. The experiment was conducted at the Experimental Vegetable Station of the Federal University of Uberlandia in 2016. The experimental design was a randomized block design with 32 treatments, including 31 tomato genotypes and a commercial control (cv. Rio Grande), with four replicates. The results showed genetic variability between genotypes. The UPGMA hierarchical method allowed greater discrimination between genotypes. Crossing the genotypes UFU-85#9 salada-D, UFU-91#5 salada-D, and cv. Rio Grande will lead to hybrids with high chlorophyll content, high yield, high fruit mass, and fruits with high soluble solids.