Development and evaluation of procedures for early generation identification of superior parents in a tomato (Lycopersicon Esculentum Mill.) breeding program

Typescript (photocopy).Three populations of tomato crosses from a pedigree breeding program were analyzed to determine the number of selections made among the segregating progenies of each cross in each generation during the life of the populations. Population I (I) was comprised of 518 crosses and underwent selection for 22 generations; population II (II) had 508 crosses and was selected for 14 generations; and population III (III) had 1,990 crosses and was selected for 7 generations. Superior crosses were defined as those crosses with progeny remaining in the populations when 95% of the original crosses had been discarded. Superior parents were the parents of the superior crosses.(') The mean numbers of selections among the progenies of superior crosses were greater than those of non-superior crosses beginning with the F(,4) in I, the F(,5) in III and the F(,6) in II. Screening the populations for cross families with (GREATERTHEQ) 5 selections in the F(,3) through F(,6) generations identified significantly greater numbers of superior