Fruit storage life in Lycopersicon pimpinellifolium.

Fruit shelf-life was measured in Lycopersicon pimpinellifolium accessions, and L. esculentum x L. pimpinellifolium hybrids in comparison to cultivars 'Floradade' and 'Licato'. Fruits were harvested at mature green stage, rinsed, air dried, and restored at the breaker stage, selecting 20 fruits by L. pimpinellifolium and L. esculentum accession and 10 from the hybrids. The fruits were located on plastic trays at room-environment conditions, with a completely randomized design. Every other day, those fruits exhibiting decay or excessive softening, were discarded. Twenty five out of 44 pimpinellifolium genotypes exhibited longer shelf life than 'Licato' and 'Floradel'; the above was true for 4 out of 21 L. esculentum x L. pimpinellifolium hybrids, exhibiting 14 hybrids longer shelf life than 'Licato'. The results obtained with the outstanding genotypes are included on Table 1.

Table 1. Fruit shelf-life exhibited by L. pimpinellifolium accessions, and L. esculentum x L. pimpinellifolium hybrids after the breaker stage.

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Genotype      Average shelf   Genotype            Average shelf
              life days (1)                        life days (1)
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L.pimpinellifolium          L. esculentum x L. pimpinellifolium
LA 1280          66.0 ab    LLS 3 x LA 384            58.2 ab
PI 205009        61.7 ab    LLS 13 x LA 412           54.7 ab
LA 1263          61.7 ab    Licato x PI 205009        53.7 ab
PI 127805        60.8 ab    LLS 14 x LA 2093          50.0 ab
LA 412           60.8 ab    Licato x LA 122           47.5 a
LA 1262          59.9 ab    LLS 1 x PI 205009         44.8 a
PI 126432        59.7 ab    LLS 10 x LA 412           44.2 a
LA 413           59.2 ab    Licato x LA 376           43.8 a
LA 2102          59.1 ab    LLS 10 x PI 126432        43.5 a
AL 3834          58.1 ab    Licato x LA 121           42.5 a
LA 1259          58.1 ab    LLS 15 x PI 79532         42.4 a
LA 1279          58.1 ab    LLS 3 x LA 1416           40.7 a
PI 126952        56.3 ab    Licato x PI 79532         39.8 a
LA 1269          56.2 ab    LLS 3 x LA 2096           39.8 a
LA 376           56.2 ab
PI 126925        55.4 ab
LA 1257          54.5 ab    L. esculentum
LA 1416          53.9 ab    Floradade                 36.6
PI 340905        53.7 ab    Licato                    27.5
LA 375           53.0 ab
LA 369           52.6 ab
LA 381           52.4 ab
LA 1301          51.9 ab
LA 1258          51.7 ab
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