Selection of thermotolerant Italian tomato cultivars with high fruit yield and nutritional quality for the consumer taste grown under protected cultivation

Abstract High temperature is a limiting factor for the production and quality of tomato fruit, especially during the summer in tropical regions, when the cultivation must be carried out in a protected environment due to heavy rainfall. Thus, there is a need to identify cultivars adapted to these climatic conditions. In this study we aimed to carry out the selection of thermotolerant cultivars, adapted to protected cultivation, to combine characteristics of high yield, fruit quality, and consumer acceptance through principal component analysis (PCA). ‘Fascinio’, ‘Lampiao’, ‘Vedette’, ‘Tytanium’, ‘Candieiro’, ‘Mariana’, and ‘Shanty’, grown under high temperatures (36 °C), differed in yield, physicochemical parameters of fruit (soluble solids, titratable acidity and ripening index), bioactive compounds (ascorbic acid, lycopene, and β-carotene), and sensory analysis. According to the PCA, ‘Fascinio’ stood out due to its high yield characteristics (68.32 t ha−1), with a higher prevalence of large (38.6%) and medium (54.9%) fruit, sweeter fruit (4.33 °brix), and were preferred by the consumer, in addition to having thermotolerance and adaptation for the greenhouse. ‘Candieiro’ presented with the highest content of bioactive compounds (ascorbic acid: 45.31 mg/100 g and lycopene: 2.73 mg/100 g), attributes that add value to the fruit and may fulfill the needs of more demanding consumers.