Estrategias biológicas y producción en el grupo Lycopersicon

Abstract

The tomatoes belong to the Lycopersicon group (Solanaceae), which contains species of food interest (S. lycopersicum) and wild relatives such as S. pimpinellifolium, S. habrochaites, S. neorickii, which, like all wild species, play an important role in nature and farming; if knowledge is not generated, success is not assured for its conservation and use as a potential for the genetic improvement of cultivated materials. Considering that Ecuador has an interesting diversity of tomatoes and that they have been little studied, a morphological characterization of the pollen grain and the flower of the aforementioned wild species was carried out, in order to have a digital palinoteca that allows to explore the pollen heterogeneity. In addition, a self-pollination test study was conducted among S. habrochaites accessions and hybridization tests between S. habrochaites and S. pimpinellifolium materials, to know their reproductive characteristics. The results represent a morphological profile of the pollen grain and the flower of these species and their relationship; finding also that its tendency to group obeys to the color of the fruit, which would be precisely related to characters of pollen and flower, and that there is not clear structure according to its geographical origin. Regarding self-pollination, S. pimpinellifolium and S. habrochaites have a high possibility of reproduction, which enables them to better in situ conservation conditions; S.neorickii was the species with less possibilities, being the presence of an insect (Tuta absoluta) which could have affected fertilization. For crossing species, only one possible effective cross (S. habrochaites x S. pimpinellifolium) has been found, suggesting the presence of sympatric species.