Changes in incidence of fruit cracking, yield, number and characteristics of cherry tomato cultivars developed in Japan during the last 20 years

Abstract: Changes in the incidence of fruit cracking, yield, number, and characteristics of cherry tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) in Japan over a 20-years period were investigated. Ten cultivars released in Japan during this period were compared in a short-term experiment conducted from fall through winter in hydroponics. The incidence of fruit cracking in cherry tomato cultivars decreased gradually with year of release from 1987-2009. The incidence of fruit cracking was negatively correlated with fruit yield and number among the 10 cultivars tested. With regard to fruit characteristics, the incidence of fruit cracking was negatively correlated with the fruit weight, the ratio of flesh weight to locular gel weight (F/G), and thickness of exocarp and mesocarp, but not with the flesh weight, soluble solid content or firmness of exocarp and mesocarp among the 10 cultivars tested. These results indicated that, by breeding in cherry tomato cultivars released in Japan over the past two decades, the decreased incidence of fruit cracking was related to the increase in the fruit yield and number per plant, and to the increase in fruit weight and F/G, in association with an increase in the total volume of water inflow into fruits.