Host plant resistance in tomato genotypes against sucking insects in relation to physiomorphic traits, leaf curl indices, and yieldd yield

screening of tomato genotypes against sucking insect pests

Abstract

Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) is one of the most widely cultivated and economically important vegetable crops in Bangladesh. Different sucking insect pests namely thrips, aphid and whitefly leading to substantial yield and quality losses of tomato. Development of pest-resistant variety is a sustainable approach to overcome these pest problems. This study was conducted from July 2024 to June 2025 in the experimental field and laboratory of the Department of Entomology, Gazipur Agricultural University, Gazipur, Bangladesh, following a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD), to evaluate the physiomorphic traits and yield of sixteen tomato genotypes- BD 12384, BD-12386, BD-12389, BD-12390, BD-12391, BD-12392, BD-12394, BD-12395, BARI Tomato-18, BARI Hybrid Tomato-5, BARI Hybrid Tomato-7, Binatomato-12, Binatomato-13, Uttaran Plus, Unnayon, and Asa-1225 under natural infestation of thrips, aphid, and whitefly. A significant variation was observed among the genotypes in pest abundance and correlation analysis revealed that all physio morphic characteristics except trichome density were positively correlated with thrips, aphid, and whitefly abundance. BARI Hybrid Tomato-5 recorded the highest yield (38.9±1.5 t ha⁻¹), the lowest abundances of thrips, aphid, and whitefly (1.2 ± 0.11, 0.7 ± 0.11, and 1.7 ± 0.22 per branch, respectively), and low leaf curl index (4.1 ± 0.5%); therefore, it was considered a resistant genotype. The genotypes BD-12391, BD-12392, BD-12395, BARI Hybrid Tomato-7, Uttaran Plus, Unnayon, and Asa-1225 were identified as moderately resistant, whereas Binatomato-12 was found as susceptible, and the remaining genotypes were recorded as moderately susceptible.

Ann. Bangladesh Agric. 30(1): 85-97