VRT 12-1-3-2 (Tomato advanced line)

Technology Background:

Tomato (yellow) leaf curl disease (TYLCD/ToLCD) is a major biotic constraint in tomato production and can cause 100% yield loss if young tomato plants are infected. ToLCD caused by be gomo viruses and transmitted by whitefly (Bemisiatabaci). Whitefly is polyphagous pest and it is highly difficult to control this pest. 

Technology Details:

Among different available strategies, cultivating ToLCD resistant cultivars is the most effective, economical and environmentally safe strategy to manage the disease. Ty3 resistance gene offering good resistance against different species of ToLCV and reliable markers are available for the gene. With the help of marker assisted selection VRT 12-1-3-2 was developed and it shows high level of resistance to ToLCD. The Ty-3 containing tomato line VRT 12-1-3-2 recorded an average fruit yield of 4.07 kg. The fruits of the line VRT 12-1-3-2 are circular in shape with pericarp thickness of 0.49 cm and with an average locule number of 2.47 per fruit. VRT 12-1-3-2 has greater combining ability. With TOLCV resistance, desirable horticultural characters, and combining ability, VRT 12-1-3-2 can be used in different tomato TOLCV resistance breeding programmes like the line can be used as a parent in hybrid development programmes and as source of Ty-3 gene in gene pyramiding programmes with other economically useful genes.