Factors affecting the production of a BC1F1 population and characterization of the BC1F1 progenies obtained from the interspecific crosses between a cultivated tomato and the peruvianum-complex

The present study was conducted to evaluate the factors (e.g. cultivar (V), wild species line (L), year (Y) and their interactions) affecting the production of a BC1F1 population (cultivar x F1 (cultivar x 'peruvianum-complex')), a breeding strategy for using many cultivars as pistillate parents for the production of a BC1F1 population and for the segregation of some characteristics such as sweet aroma of leaf, morphological traits and self-incompatibility in the BC1F1 population. Ovule selection and culture method was used for the production of progenies. The interaction between the cultivar and the wild species line (V x L) was found to be significant. Differences in the number of GOFs (Germinated Ovules per Fruit) among 19 tomato cultivars crossed with F1 (cultivar x L. peruvianum LA1554) were significant. Differences in the number of GOFs among wild species lines (as F1 pollen parents) were also significant and much more pronounced than those of the cultivars. Significant variation was observed within-year and affected the interaction (V x Y) which was variable. The present study suggests that the probability of obtaining a stable, consistent average number of GOFs is high for the production of a BC1F1 population if many cultivars are used at a time as seed parents. The segregation of some characteristics in the BC1F1 population was evaluated. Most of the morphological traits resembled those of the wild species parents. Thirty six percent of the BC1F1 population inherited self-compatibility from the L. esculentum parent. A sensory panel composed of 8 members evaluated the leaf aroma of 100 BC1F1 plants (19 cultivars x F1 derived from LA1554) and two BC1F1 plants were found to have the same sweet aroma as the F1 (pollen parent). In the present study a large BC1F1 population with an expected number of plants was obtained. Sensory attributes of some BC1F1 plants suggested that the expected quantitative trait had successfully been introduced into the BC1F1 population.