Identification of hybrids suitable for cluster harvesting in cocktail tomato breeding

Among tomato varieties, cocktail tomato cultivation has gained an important place in both the domestic market and exports. One of the problems frequently encountered by cocktail tomato growers is that harvesting takes time because each fruit is picked individually, which increases labor costs. In this context, it can be said that there is a need to develop new varieties suitable for bunch harvesting without damaging the bunch shape in order to shorten the harvest time and reduce labor costs in cocktail tomato cultivation. The research was conducted in the greenhouse belonging to Troya Seed Production Research and Marketing Inc. As a result of the crossbreeding of cocktail type F6 and advanced lines identified as parents in the company's gene pool, 18 hybrid varieties were used as candidate materials. Scala F1, Alkış F1, and Filika F1 varieties were used as controls. Measurements and observations were made on hybrid variety candidates in terms of bunch length, number of fruits ripening in the bunch, degree of fruit detachment from the stem, fruit shape, fruit diameter and length, seed cavity diameter and length, fruit carpel number L*, Chroma (C*), hue angle (ho) color values, average fruit weight, fruit flesh thickness, TSS, fruit flesh firmness, and average cluster weight. The results of the study showed statistically significant differences between the cocktail-type hybrid candidates in terms of bunch length, number of fruits ripening in the bunch, fruit diameter and length, fruit core diameter and length, L*, C*, h°, average fruit weight, fruit flesh thickness, SÇKM, fruit flesh firmness, and average cluster weight. The number of carpels was found to be statistically insignificant. TH19 (43.56 cm) cluster length, TH19 (18.47 pieces) number of fruits ripening in the cluster, TH04 (39.78 mm) fruit diameter, TH11 (60.63 mm) fruit length, TH02 (29.86 mm) seed cavity diameter, TH11 (38.31) seed cavity length, TH08 (42.35) L*, TH05 (39.75) C*, TH08 (42.83) ho, TH11 (51.47 g) average fruit weight, TH11 (5.67 mm) fruit flesh thickness, TH14 (7.93%) SÇKM, TH08 (1.22 kg/cm²) fruit flesh hardness, TH11 (408.94 g) were found to be the hybrid candidates with the highest values in terms of average cluster weight parameters.