Abstract:
A B S T R A C T
Although agriculture is the driving force of Ghana’s economy, accounting for one third of GDP and employing
more than half of the workforce, Ghana is still far from achieving food security due to serious challenges facing
the sector. If agriculture is to fulfill its promise of achieving food and nutrition security in Ghana by 2030, it must
take drastic steps towards enhancing vegetable crop production. Greenhouse technology is fast gaining recognition
in urban and peri-urban areas. Low tomato production in Ghana is a problem owing to the lack of
improved and high-yielding varieties. Evaluation of improved lines of tomato under greenhouse condition which
is a fast-growing technology in Ghana can help identify adaptable and promising lines for cultivation. This can
lead to increased tomato production as well as meeting consumer demands. In this study, 12 improved lines and
2 local checks of tomato were evaluated under greenhouse conditions to determine their agronomic performances,
and fruit quality traits using a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three replications. The
results indicate that Lines J138 and B24 recorded the highest yields (20.05 t/ha and 23.03 t/ha respectively)
whiles the check varieties, Anna F1 and Nkansah HT gave yields of 18.77 t/ha and 16.96 t/ha, respectively. Lines
B24, B25, J138, B45 and B46 also exhibited good fruit quality traits such as pH, pericarp thickness, fruit firmness
and shelf life. These promising lines of tomato could be useful germplasm in tomato breeding programmes in
Ghana and for cultivation under greenhouse conditions.
