Extensive genetic studies on the inheritance of early blight resistance revealed different resistance sources
18072 Afr. J. Biotechnol. from wild tomato accessions such as Solanum habrochaites and S. pimpinellifolium resulted in the same conclusion that the resistance is a quantitative trait with recessive and partially dominant polygenes, conferring
resistance with complicated epistatic effects (Thirthamallappa and Lohitaswa, 2000; Maiero et al., 1990). All the earlier studies have been conducted in open fields with uncontrollable conditions and presence of other pathogens. Identification of resistance sources, genetic inheritance of tomato plants and spray inoculated pathogenicity tests must be combined with optimum environmental conditions to study resistance to the fungal pathogen in greenhouses. The present study aimed to
identify resistant tomatoes, to dissect inheritance of resistance and to map resistance loci in tomatoes against the fungal early blight disease under controllable greenhouse conditions.