Yield and quality performance of open pollinated and hybrid tomato cultivars grown under organic management in Puerto Rico

Abstract

Variety trials were conducted in 2010 and 2011 to evaluate the yield and quality performance of 11 open pollinated and three hybrid tomato (Solarium lycopersicum L.) cultivars grown organically in Lajas, Puerto Rico. In both years, significant differences in marketable fruit yield were observed. Yields in 2010 ranged from 72.1 Mg/ha for 'Roma' to 8.6 Mg/ha for 'Marion'. 'Roma' and 'Neptune' (65.6 Mg/ha) were among the highest yielding cultivars. In 2011, significant yield differences were also observed. Marketable fruit yield ranged from 54.7 Mg/ha for 'Early Girl' to 23.5 Mg/ha for 'Super Sioux'. 'Early Girl', 'Flora Dade' (53.8 Mg/ha), 'BHN 444' (50.8 Mg/ha), 'Roma' (48.6 Mg/ha), 'Eva Purple Ball' (48.4 Mg/ha), 'Traveler 76' (46.4 Mg/ha) and 'Celebrity' (45.9 Mg/ha) were among the highest yielders. 'Early Girl' was consistently among the top cultivars in both seasons for taste, yield, and fruit appearance. Open pollinated cultivars performed with more variability between the two seasons than the hybrids. The open pollinated cultivars which ranked highest during the two-year study for taste, yield, and overall appearance were 'Roma', 'Homestead 24', 'Ozark Pink', and 'Traveler 76'. This study indicates that tomato can be grown successfully under an organic management system in Puerto Rico using either open pollinated cultivars or hybrids.