THE RESPONSE OF SEVERAL TOMATO CULTIVARS FOR PROCESSING IN CENTRAL TRANSYLVANIA CONDITIONS. I. YIELD CAPACITY

Nine tomato varieties, hybrids F1 and selection (Perla Clujului, Natalia, Chico Grande, Indiana, Red River, Event, Jet, Montego, Cluj 8-2002) have been tested for their yield characteristics and compared in order to experiment and control, at Fruit Research Station Cluj-Napoca (FRS Cluj-Napoca), Romania. All the cultivars presented a low height of the plants and a low number of sprouts, respectively multi-stage fruiting, which makes them fit for industrial exploitation. Of all the analysed cultivars, Chico Grande, Event, Jet, Montego and Line Cluj 8-2002 had the required characteristics, all expressed on a high level, which makes them possible genitors for future breeding programmes. The Early Fruit Yield (EFY), at least for the conditions from Central Transylvania, was quite high in all the cultivars. Besides the Chico Grande variety, early high productions were obtained from hybrid Jet, Line Cluj 8-2002, Red River and Natalia. The Total Fruit Yield oscillated between 58.0 tons per hectare (Indiana) and 63.0 tons per hectare (Natalia). Besides Natalia, high productions were also obtained from the other varieties created at Cluj-Napoca such as: Perla Clujului and Line Cluj 8-2002 (both of them had a production of 60.8 tons per hectare). Between Total Fruit Yield and Mature Fruit Yield there was registered a strong correlation, the two types of production increase and decrease together, all the time, both in the same direction. There is also a significant positive correlation between the Total Fruit Yield and the weight of the fruit.