Vol. 12, Special Issue 9 (2023)

Author(s):
M Siva, NVVS Durga Prasad, M Jahnavi, M Usha, L Rajesh Chowdary and TV Reddy

Abstract:
Over a span of three years, a study was carried out to evaluate the performance of tomato hybrids, specifically Arka Abhed and Arka Samrat, known for their high yield and resistance to multiple diseases. This research was conducted in the Prakasam district of Andhra Pradesh, where the majority of farmers traditionally cultivated low-yielding commercial hybrids that were highly susceptible to pests and diseases. Given this agricultural context, the introduction of high-yielding hybrids with resistance to pests and diseases was deemed essential to increase productivity and reduce cultivation costs. Consequently, experiments were conducted to assess the suitability of Arka Abhed and Arka Samrat tomato hybrids in comparison to the locally cultivated US-448 hybrid. The primary branches per plant were found to be 12.33, 10.6, and 9.3, while the number of fruits per plant yielded 102.0, 87.33, and 77.33, and the per-plant yield was 7.3 kg, 6.53 kg, and 5.63 kg, respectively, for Arka Abhed, Arka Samrat, and US-448 hybrids. Furthermore, the average yield was recorded at 51.57 t/ha, 47.03 t/ha, and 42 t/ha, respectively. The new hybrid varieties demonstrated positive results in terms of the Benefit-to-Cost (B:C) ratio, with values of 1:2.60, 2.38, and 2.21 for Arka Abhed, Arka Samrat, and US-448 hybrids, respectively.