Registration of ‘Niab Jauhar’ a high yielding and disease tolerant hybrid of tomato.

A determinate type hybrid of tomato ‘NIAB JAUHAR’ earlier denominated as NBH-25 was developed by crossing a local genotype ‘NB-13’ with an exotic inbred line ‘NB-6’ (a derivative of line LBR-10 provided by World Vegetable Centre, Taiwan). The genetic purity of the F1 hybrid, NIAB JAUHAR was confirmed using DNA-PCR based SCAR marker. NIAB JAUHAR showed 41% advantage in yield in preliminary while 18-34% in multi-location yield trials over commercial check hybrid T-1359 during 2012-16. Disease severity index recorded in two consecutive years scaled NIAB JAUHAR as moderately resistant to early and late blight diseases. Reaction to fruit borer infestation on NIAB JAUHAR was less than economic threshold level. NIAB JAUHAR possesses high fruit weight, fruit firmness, vitamin A and C, lycopene and low contents of sugar against standard. It gives a high range of productivity 56-61 t. ha-1 when transplanted around mid of November with NPK application of 225:90:125 kg. ha-1 . Due to its superior characteristics, Punjab Seed Council Lahore approved this hybrid for commercial cultivation in 2018. Seed production of NIAB JAUHAR can be started on commercial scale in order to supply quality seed at low price to the growers and to save foreign exchange incurred on import of tomato seed every year in Pakistan [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]