Tomato Germplasm Evaluation for Growth and Productivity in the Virgin Islands

Five tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) cultivars, Calypso, Celebrity, Caraibo, Floradade and UH-N69, were field grown during two seasons (spring of 1991 and 1992) to evaluate their growth characteristics and productivity in the U.S. Virgin Islands. In 1991, highest total yields of 44.9, 41.7 and 40.3 ton/ha were produced by UH-N69, Floradade and Celebrity; respectively. Cultivars UH-N69 and Floradade produced the largest quantity of marketable fruits (41.8 and 38.2 ton/ha, respectively). The mean fruit size of Floradade (174 g), Celebrity (170 g), Calypso (169 g) and UH-N69 (163 g) were all significantly larger than fruits of Caraibo (125 g). Fruits of Celebrity and Calypso contained the highest percentage of total soluble solids of 4.5 and 4.7%, respectively. In 1992, yields of all cultivars were generally lower than those obtained in 1991 due to severe infestation of whiteflies and disease infection. Cultivars UH-N69 and Celebrity produced high marketable yields of 32.3 and 30.0 ton/ha, respectively. These cultivars displayed more vigorous growth resulting in plants that were taller than other cultivars. Fruits produced by Celebrity, Calypso and Floradade were larger than Caraibo. In these trials, Celebrity, Floradade and UH-N69 were the best cultivars for fresh market tomato production in the Virgin Islands