Genetic improvement of tomatoes involving rin, nor and alc alleles

Tomato is one of the most important vegetable crops cultivated all over the world for table and processing purposes. In many parts of the world including North Indian plains, its fruit harvest duration is short and a period of glut and low prices is followed by scarcity and high prices in the market. The dearth of processing facilities raises the demand for cultivars having extended shelf-life so that the fruits can be transported to distant markets or stored to exploit local markets. A few mutant genes that interfere with normal tomato ripening are slow ripening alcobaca (alc), ripening inhibitor (rin) and non-ripening (nor). These genes in homozygous form considerably extend the shelf-life of tomato fruits but develop poor colour and inferior flavour. This monograph provides insights in to the development and identification of F1 hybrids, heterozygous for rin, nor and alc alleles having high yield, superior flavour, better shelf-life and extended harvest duration, and offer the possibility of their commercial cultivation. This book should be especially useful to tomato breeders across the world who are interested in genetic improvement of tomato for shelf-life, yield and quality.