Effect of Ethylene Sletr1-2 Receptor Allele on Flowering, Fruit Phenotype, Yield, and Shelf-Life of Four F1 Generations of Tropical Tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum L.)

A longer shelf-life for tomatoes without pleiotropic effects is one of the main goals of breeding programs in tropical countries. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the effect of the Sletr1-2 mutant allele on flowering, fruit phenotype, shelf life, and yield-related traits in four F1 hybrids from four tropical tomato genetic backgrounds. The study consisted of four tropical strains, namely 'Intan', 'Mirah', 'Ratna', and 'Mutiara', as females crossed with wild type 'Micro-Tom' (WT-MT) and mutant Sletr1-2 as males. Each was given three treatments and analyzed separately using a randomized block design with four replications of five samples each. The next test used was the Tukey Alpha 0.05 test. The genetic background of tropical tomatoes affects the phenotype and shelf-life. F1 mutants 'Intan' and 'Ratna' showed significant results, with a longer shelf-life than F1 WT (10.2 and 14.6 days, respectively). In addition, there were no side effects of the Sletr1-2 mutant allele in the heterozygous form on flowering, fruit phenotype, and yield. In conclusion, the Sletr1-2 allele has the potential to be used in tomato breeding programs in tropical countries.