Development of high-lycopene tomato hybrids using conventional breeding techniques and molecular markers

Relevance. High lycopene fruit content has been regarded as a very important genetic trait in tomato breeding. Use lycopene molecular markers in combination with conventional breeding techniques allowed us to create hybrids with high lycopene accumulation, excellent organoleptic qualities, high yield production and resistance to pathogens, and to effectively optimize our breeding programmes for commercial greehouses production. Material and Methods. In this study tomato samples including selected lines and hybrids with various allelic combinations of genes determining carotene accumulation, and other genetic traits, such as disease resistance and yield production were tested. Introgression of spontaneous and induced mutations was used to increase carotenoid levels (og and hp) and improve fruit technological qualities (nor, alc, rin). The research material was tomato collection, mutants, breeding lines and hybrids listed in the State Register Russian Federation tomato hybrids of breeding SS Agrofirm "Ilyinichna" - VNIIO branch of the All-Russian Scientific Research Institute of Vegetable Growing - Branch of the FSBSI Federal Scientific Vegetable Center. DNA typing of fruit quality genes was performed at the Institute of Genetics and Cytology of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus. Results. New domestic hybrids for industrial greenhouses, which characterised by improved organoleptic qualities and technological traits were developed with the help of phased cross-breeding that allowed to combine the genes nor, rin, alc, leading to an extension of the shelf life with the genes B, og, hp1, etc., contributing to an increase in carotenoid content in fruits. It was established that for targeted selection and hybridization, despite the negative influence of the nor, rin, alc genes it is possible to raise the level of carotenoids to average values. Correlation between lycopene concentration in fruits and high temperature and level of insolation was confirmed. It was shown that pink-fruited forms contain significantly more lycopene than red-fruited ones. Different allelic combinations of structural genes involved in carotenoids biosynthesis and regulatory genes that provided maximal accumulation of lycopene in hybrids with red and pink fruits were revealed. Hybrids with the combination of high concentrations of sugar (° Brix), dry matter and maximal lycopene values, combined defining excellent taste were selected: Prekrasnaiya lady, Olya, Quadrille, Victoria. New F1 hybrids one for industrial greenhouses: G950, G956, G960, Magistral and pink-fruited G12897, surpassed the Dutch standard in productivity up to 21%, and in tastes/organoleptic qualities for 1-1.8 points.