Reproductive Diversity in Cultivated Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.): Relationships Among Floral, Fruit and Seed Traits
Author(s)
Date Issued
March 12, 2026
Type
article
Volume
15
Issue
6
ISSN
2223-7747
Journal
Abstract
The extensive diversification of flower shape and organs underpins the adaptive success
of angiosperms. Despite substantial knowledge of the molecular mechanisms controlling
flower induction and development, few studies have quantified the variability in floral
traits within species or explored their correlation with other reproductive traits. In cultivated
tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.), human selection has driven fruit diversification
in terms of size and shape. In the present study, 48 landraces representing tomato diversity
in reproduction-related characteristics were phenotyped for 18 flower structural or
dimensional traits. Flower traits exhibited lower coefficients of variation compared to other
reproductive traits, though organ numbers showed high heritability values. Flower organ
number and size were tightly correlated, but the correlation between dimensional traits
was weaker. This likely reflects the selective pressures on pistil traits during domestication,
including specific mutations affecting carpel number and ovary morphology. While
ovary and fruit size were positively correlated, no relationship was found between ovule
and seed size, suggesting that genes related to seed size generally act after fruit set. The
collection was genotyped at the Fasciated (Fas) locus, and 13 floral traits were significantly
different in fas mutants. The phenotypic variability described in this study could help
breeders select for more fertile flowers and assist reproductive biologists in linking genes to
flower development.
File(s)![Thumbnail Image]()
Name
2026 - Olivieri Plants - flower morphology.pdf
Size
1.89 MB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
f8899619391963debff5fff4fabb72e6