Performance of tomato varieties for growth and yield characters under Nagpur conditions

Introduction

Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) is an important vegetable crop cultivated extensively in different parts of the world. It has considerable importance in human nutrition as well as agricultural income because its fruits are consumed in fresh form and are also utilized for preparing various processed products. Tomato fruits provide several essential nutrients and bioactive compounds, making the crop an important component of a balanced diet. Improvement in productivity and consistent crop performance is therefore essential for meeting increasing consumer demand and improving the profitability of tomato cultivation. The growth, flowering and yield performance of tomato are governed by the interaction of genotype with prevailing environmental conditions and crop management practices. Among these factors, varietal selection plays a major role in determining the productivity of the crop. Tomato varieties differ considerably in their plant height, branching habit, stem development, leaf area, flowering behaviour and yield potential. Hence, the identification of varieties having desirable growth and yield attributes is important for obtaining higher productivity under a particular agro-climatic situation. The performance of a tomato variety may vary considerably from one region to another because climatic conditions, soil properties, temperature, moisture availability and seasonal variations influence plant growth and reproductive development. A variety showing good performance in one location may not necessarily exhibit similar performance under another environment. Therefore, evaluation of different tomato varieties under specific agro-climatic conditions is necessary to determine their adaptability and identify varieties capable of producing superior growth and yield. Nagpur and its adjoining areas of the Vidarbha region provide favourable conditions for vegetable cultivation; however, varietal response can differ under the local environmental conditions. Assessment of growth characteristics such as plant height, number of branches, stem diameter and leaf area, along with flowering and yield attributes can provide useful information regarding the adaptability and productive potential of different tomato varieties. Such comparative evaluation can assist growers in selecting varieties better suited to local production conditions.

Materials and Methods

The experiment was conducted during the Rabi season of 2025-26 at the PG Research Farm, Horticulture Section, College of Agriculture, Nagpur, Maharashtra, India. The experimental site is situated at 21.10°N latitude and 79.19°E longitude at an altitude of 310.26 m above mean sea level and represents the subtropical agro-climatic conditions of the Vidarbha region. Eight tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) varieties, viz., T 1 -Kashi Adarsh, T 2 -Kashi Chayan, T 3 -Kashi Vishesh, T 4 -Kashi Aman, T 5 -Arka Vikas, T 6 -Phule Kesari, T 7 -Gujarat Tomato-7 and T 8 -PKM-1 were evaluated. The experiment was laid out in a Randomized Block Design (RBD) with three replications, comprising 24 experimental plots. Each plot accommodated 30 plants at a spacing of 60 × 60 cm with a gross plot size of 3.60 × 3.00 m and net plot area of 4.32 m 2 . Observations were recorded on selected growth and yield parameters of tomato. Growth parameters included plant height, number of branches per plant, stem diameter and leaf area. Yield-related observations comprised days to initiation of flower bud, number of flowers per plant and yield per plant. Plant height, number of branches per plant and stem diameter were recorded at the specified stages of crop growth, while leaf area was measured using standard procedures. Days to initiation of flower bud and number of flowers per plant were recorded during the flowering period, and yield per plant was determined from the harvested fruits. The recorded observations were statistically analysed using analysis of variance (ANOVA) appropriate for a Randomized Block Design (RBD) following the procedure outlined by Panse et al. (1967) [1] .

Result and Discussion

Growth parameters

The data from Table 1 exhibited the significant difference among the varieties on growth parameters. [2] in tomato, Gumasta et al. (2023) [3] in tomato and Sindhu et al. (2020) [4] in tomato.

Number of branches plant-1

The Significant differences among tomato varieties were observed for the number of branches per plant at 60 and 90 DAT, whereas the variation at 30 DAT was non-significant. At 30 DAT, the number of branches ranged from 8.43 to 10.94, with the maximum recorded in Kashi Aman (10.94) and the minimum in PKM-1 (8.43). At 60 DAT, Kashi Aman (26.53 branches plant -1 ) recorded the highest number of branches, while PKM-1 (16.42) recorded the lowest. At 90 DAT, Kashi Aman maintained its superiority with 38.35 branches plant -1 , whereas the minimum value was recorded in PKM-1 (21.70). Kashi Chayan and Phule Kesari were statistically comparable with Kashi Aman at 90 DAT. Differences among varieties may be attributed to their inherent genetic potential for branching and canopy formation. Comparable varietal differences in branching behaviour were reported by Gumasta et al. (2023) [3] in tomato, Mounica et al. (2022) [5] in tomato and Sindhu et al. (2020) [4] in tomato.

The varieties exhibited significant differences in stem diameter at 60 and 90 DAT, while the variation at 30 DAT was non-significant. Stem diameter at 30 DAT ranged from 0.64 to 0.95 cm with the maximum value in Kashi Aman (0.95 cm) and the minimum in PKM-1 (0.64 cm). At 60 DAT, the thickest stem was recorded in Kashi Aman (1.89 cm) followed by Kashi Chayan (1.78 cm), whereas PKM-1 recorded the lowest value (1.31 cm). At 90 DAT, Kashi Aman (2.58 cm) produced the maximum stem diameter, while PKM-1 (1.91 cm) recorded the minimum. the observed differences in stem thickness could be related to varietal differences in vegetative vigour and stem development. Varieties having stronger vegetative growth may develop thicker stems owing to greater structural development during crop growth. Similar variation in stem diameter among genotypes was reported by Maurya et al. (2024) [2] in tomato, Sulaiman et al. (2020) [6] in brinjal and Singh et al. (2019) [7] in tomato.

Significant variation in leaf area was observed among the tomato varieties at 50 per cent flowering. The leaf area ranged from 38.76 to 57.18 cm 2 . Gujarat Tomato-7 (57.18 cm 2 ) recorded the maximum leaf area and was statistically at par with Kashi Chayan (54.41 cm 2 ). The minimum leaf area was recorded in PKM-1 (38.76 cm 2 ) which remained statistically comparable with Kashi Vishesh and Arka Vikas. Differences in leaf area may be associated with genetic variation governing leaf expansion and canopy development. Similar genotypic variation in leaf area has been reported in tomato by Shivani et al. (2017) [8] in tomato, Singh et al. (2019) [7] in tomato and Mounica et al. (2022) [5] in tomato.

Yield parameters

The data from Table 2 exhibited the significant difference among the varieties on yield parameters.

Significant variation was observed among the tomato varieties with respect to days required for initiation of the first flower bud. The values ranged from 26.71 to 38.12 days. PKM-1 (26.71 days) exhibited the earliest flower-bud initiation and was statistically at par with Arka Vikas (28.48 days) and Gujarat Tomato-7 (29.37 days). In contrast, Kashi Aman (38.12 days) recorded the latest flower-bud initiation and was comparable with Phule Kesari and Kashi Chayan. The differences in flowering time among varieties may be explained by variation in their genetic constitution and transition from vegetative to reproductive growth. Similar differences in flowering time were reported by Nisha et al. (2023) [9] in brinjal, Das et al. (2017) [10] in brinjal and Mehraj et al. (2014) [11] in tomato.

Number of flowers plant-1

The varieties differed significantly in the number of flowers produced per plant. Kashi Aman (70.02 flowers plant -1 ) recorded the highest number and was statistically at par with Kashi Chayan (65.37), Phule Kesari (64.54) and Kashi Adarsh (62.89). The minimum number of flowers was recorded in PKM-1 (40.73), which was comparable with Gujarat Tomato-7 (46.44) and Arka Vikas (41.57). The differences in flower production may be attributed to varietal differences in genetic potential, plant architecture and reproductive capacity. Similar variation in flower production among tomato genotypes was reported by Jyoti et al. (2025) [12] in tomato, Gumasta et al. (2023) [3] in tomato and Mehraj et al. (2014) [11] in tomato.

Significant differences were observed among the tomato varieties for yield per plant. Yield ranged from 1.38 to 2.74 kg plant -1 . Kashi Aman (2.74 kg plant -1 ) produced the highest yield and was statistically at par with Kashi Chayan (2.46 kg plant -1 ). Kashi Adarsh (2.23 kg) and Phule Kesari (2.40 kg) also recorded comparatively higher yields. The lowest yield was obtained from PKM-1 (1.38 kg plant -1 ) which was at par with Arka Vikas (1.57 kg plant -1 ). The superiority of Kashi Aman in yield per plant may be related to its favourable combination of flower production, fruit-bearing capacity and number of branches which ultimately contributed to greater accumulation of yield. Similar results were reported by Kumar et al. (2018) [13] in tomato, Hossain et al. (2017) [14] in tomato and Jatav et al. (2017) [15] in tomato.

Conclusion

Overall, Kashi Aman exhibited superior performance and may be recommended for commercial cultivation under Nagpur conditions.

References

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