Diallel Analysis of Agronomic Traits in Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) for the Improvement of Elite Varieties in Burkina Faso

In Burkina Faso, hybrid tomato seed production has not yet begun. To gather fundamental data on tomato F1 seed production, the Farako-Bâ research station experimented from April 2023 to March 2024. The experiment evaluated together in a completely randomized design 30 genotypes derived from a 6 x 6 full diallel cross set of tomatoes and their six parental lines. One (01) plant served as the experimental unit replicated 10 times, and we recorded plant height, principal stem diameter, number of primary ramifications, day to first fruit maturity, number of fruits per plant, fruit yield per plant (g), and mean fruit weight (g). We analyzed data from the F1 generation and parents using the Griffing Method I to estimate combining ability, reciprocal and maternal effects, and heterosis. For all traits, ANOVA results showed significant differences (P < 0.0001) among parental lines and offspring. The variances for general (GCA) and specific (SCA) combining ability were significant, indicating both additive and non-additive gene effects. Reciprocal and maternal effects were also significant for all traits, except primary ramification and fruit yield per plant. Plant height would be controlled by additive gene action, while yield and its components would be on dominance and epistatic effect due to the non-additive gene action. P3 was the most significant parental line to increase principal stem diameter, number of primary ramifications, yield, and its component while also reducing the cycle. P5 is the most parental line to increase plant height and mean fruit weight, and P5, P4, and P3 were found to be the best parental lines to use as females in crossing to improve fruit yield and its components.