Evaluación agronómica y de calidad de las diferentes poblaciones de tomate de árbol (solanum betaceum. Cav)

Abstract

The tamarillo fruit (Solanum betaceum) is an Andean fruit tree with great potential for intensive production. However, its yield can be affected by various diseases, such as Purple Top, currently present in at least 50% of the producing areas, decreasing national production. In this study, possibly promising materials were evaluated, with agronomic and health characteristics enabling the development of genetic lines with greater resistance to these biotic factors. To accomplish this, the fruit quality and the reaction to diseases of tamarillo populations derived from the cross between S. betaceum and S. unilobum during their first production cycle were established. These materials from the towns of Píllaro, Tumbaco, Bullcay, and Tandapi were compared to the commercial cultivar known as “Orange Giant.” Yield variables, days to flowering, soluble solids, flavor relationship, fruit shape, pH, titratable acidity, color, browning, and resistance to diseases, such as Chlorosis, Foliage Virus, and Witches’ Broom, were analyzed. The materials that presented the best performance for yield were Píllaro 5-69 with an estimated 1000g per harvest, flowering after 210 days; Píllaro 5, soluble solids; Píllaro 1 with 13.9% °brix, pH of 3.88 for Píllaro 4, titratable acids for Bullcay 4 with the value of 0.336% citric acid, flavor ratio of 50.2 for the Píllaro 4 population, height for Bullcay 1 -134 with 148 cm, Bullcay fruit weight 9-77 with 137.86g and resistance to Bullcay diseases 1-134 with an average attack level 1. Keywords: Tamarillo, genetics, populations, resistance, variables, promising materials, performance, diseases.