MORPHOLOGY, PRODUCTIVITY AND QUALITATIVE CHARACTERIZATION OF A TOMATO GENOTYPES COLLECTION

Tomato was introduced in Italy in the early 16th century and was widely cultivated in different pedo-climatic, cultivation and cultural conditions leading to the formation of several agro-ecotypes. At present numerous ecotypes are widely spread in most Italian Regions that are very different in their morphology, adaptation, and utilization of the berry. Here we report the morphology, productivity and qualitative characterization of some accessions collected in the internal areas of Basilicata Region; this territory is characterized by an high level of agro-biodiversity that is probably due to the geographic isolation and to the lack of industrialization. The study was carried out in June-September 2008 in two different locations – Pantano di Pignola (PZ), on a loam mountainous (788 m asl) soil, and Policoro (MT) on a sandy flat (12 m asl) soil – under southern Italy field conditions. Plants of 71 accessions -70 local ecotypes and one commercial cultivar- were transplanted in single rows. Two physiological and eight morphological traits were recorded during the plant life cycle (flowering date, plant growth habit type, plant height (cm), leaf type, inflorescence type, corolla colour, number of flowers per inflorescence, exterior colour of immature fruit, green shoulder presence, ripening date). At harvest the fruit morphology was determined (predominant shape, exterior colour of mature fruit, flesh colour of pericarp, cross-section shape, blossom-end shape, polar diameter (mm), equatorial diameter (mm) and pericarp thickness (mm)), the yield components (number and weight, berries mean weight) and the quality parameters (fruit soluble solids (° bricks), reducing sugars, titratable acidity and fruit pH). All the data were subjected to ANOVA analysis; Duncan and SNK tests were chosen for separation of the means and Cluster analysis was performed by means of SAS software. Accessions have revealed wide genetic variability for some morphological characters. Location affected the number of days to flower and to fruit ripening (earlier in the flat and hot Policoro and later in the mountainous and more temperate Pignola). Differences were observed in the number of fruits per plant (higher in Policoro than in Pignola). Taking into account measured fruit and characteristics, location influenced mean fruit weight, pulp thickness, fruit diameter and soluble solids, in fact statistically significance differences were observed, showing that at Pignola berries were heavier, thicker, larger and sweeter. Cluster analysis showed five principal groups characterized principally by the morphology predominant fruit shape, by the fruit cross section shape and by the leaf typ