Evaluation of Drought Tolerance in USDA Tomato Germplasm at Seedling Stage

Kenani E. Chiwina; Gehendra Bhattarai; Haizheng Xiong; Neelendra K. Joshi; Ryan W. Dickson; Theresa M. Phiri; Ibtisam Alatawi; Yilin Chen; Zachary Stansell; Kai-Shu Ling; Ainong Shi

doi:10.3390/agronomy14020380

Agronomy (Feb 2024)

Evaluation of Drought Tolerance in USDA Tomato Germplasm at Seedling Stage

Kenani E. Chiwina,
Gehendra Bhattarai,
Haizheng Xiong,
Neelendra K. Joshi,
Ryan W. Dickson,
Theresa M. Phiri,
Ibtisam Alatawi,
Yilin Chen,
Zachary Stansell,
Kai-Shu Ling,
Ainong Shi

Affiliations

Kenani E. Chiwina: Department of Horticulture, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR 72701, USA
Gehendra Bhattarai: Department of Horticulture, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR 72701, USA
Haizheng Xiong: Department of Horticulture, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR 72701, USA
Neelendra K. Joshi: Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR 72701, USA
Ryan W. Dickson: Department of Horticulture, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR 72701, USA
Theresa M. Phiri: Department of Horticulture, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR 72701, USA
Ibtisam Alatawi: Department of Horticulture, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR 72701, USA
Yilin Chen: Department of Horticulture, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR 72701, USA
Zachary Stansell: The United States Department of Agriculture—Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS), Plant Genetic Resources Unit, 630 West North Street, Geneva, NY 14456, USA
Kai-Shu Ling: USDA-ARS, 2700 Savannah Highway, Charleston, SC 29414, USA
Ainong Shi: Department of Horticulture, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR 72701, USA

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy14020380
Journal volume & issue: Vol. 14, no. 2
p. 380

Abstract

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Drought, a crucial abiotic stressor, markedly reduces the growth and yield of tomato crops (Solanum lycopersicum L.). Consequently, adopting drought-resistant cultivars and implementing breeding programs to enhance drought tolerance have emerged as enduring solutions to alleviate the adverse effects of drought in various tomato cultivation regions. In this study, 68 United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) tomato accessions were assessed in a controlled greenhouse experiment, encompassing both water deficit treatment and a control group subjected to standard watering conditions. The experiment was arranged in a randomized complete block design with three replications. The results of this study pinpointed four accessions, PI 365956, PI 584456, PI 390510, and PI 370091, as drought-tolerant accessions. Additionally, high broad-sense heritability was revealed for leaf wilting, leaf rolling, and SPAD chlorophyll content (total leaf chlorophyll). Furthermore, positive correlations were found among parameters associated with leaf wilting, leaf rolling, and SPAD chlorophyll content. The findings offer valuable insights for tomato breeding initiatives, especially those focused on enhancing drought tolerance in elite cultivars. Future studies will expand the evaluation to include a larger pool of tomato accessions and conduct a genome-wide association study to identify single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers for molecular breeding in tomatoes.

Published in Agronomy

ISSN: 2073-4395 (Online)
Publisher: MDPI AG
Country of publisher: Switzerland
LCC subjects: Agriculture
Website: http://www.mdpi.com/journal/agronomy

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