Tomato (Lycopersicum esculentum Mill.) is a commonly cultivated vegetable crop; however, there is a dearth of information on germination and vegetative growth of tomato cultivars under the hot and wet humid tropical conditions of the Niger Delta in Nigeria. Although several hybrids exist, there are no known cultivars selected for cultivation under the Niger Delta conditions. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the germination and vegetative growth of five tomato cultivars under hot and wet conditions, and to identify potentially suitable cultivar(s) for the Niger Delta. The tomato cultivars tested included a high-performing non-hybrid cultivar common to northern Nigeria (Roma Vf), hybrids bred for hot and wet environment (AVTO9803 and AVTO9001) and hybrids bred for cool/dry environment (AVTO1001 and AVTO1006). Germination tests were conducted and the cultivars were grown under two conditions during the rainy season: in the open field under direct rain, and in a glasshouse with regular watering to field capacity. Results show that Roma Vf had the poorest percent germination (19% in cold test) by 6 days after sowing, while the best performing cultivars in terms of seed quality were AVTO9803 and AVTO9001. In both field and glasshouse environments, Roma Vf grew significantly taller, with more nodes, high leaf numbers, leaves and greater leaf lengths than the exotic cultivars (with the exception of AVTO9001 and sometimes AVTO9803). The cultivar AVTO9803 performed best under the extremely hot conditions (≥35°C) in the glasshouse than on the field. This suggests that the two hybrids (AVTO9803 and AVTO9001) and Roma Vf are potentially cultivable under the hot/wet conditions, but Roma Vf would require extra care due to its poor germination rates.
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