| Popis: |
High-temperature conditions (39 ± 2 C day and 22 ± 2 C night) caused deficient fruit set in tomatoes (Lycopersicum esculentum Mill.). Fruit set of 12 cultivars from divergent sources ranged from 0% to 22%, while that of `Saladette' was between 56% and 60%. The impaired fruit set of `Roma VF' was found to be associated with pollen viability, style elongation, and lack of formation of the endothecium, which is essential to stamen and pollen thecae opening. In `Saladette,' damage was slight or nonexistent, and the endothecium formed normally under high-temperature conditions. The pronounced differences in cultivar response to high temperature permit the breeding of tolerant cultivars and the study of the nature of the primary physiological processes impeding fruit set. |
