Abstract
The identification of heterotic groups may provide an important advantage for hybrid eggplant (Solanum melongena) breeding. In this study, we evaluated the combining ability and heterotic patterns of eggplant lines in order to develop improved eggplant cultivars resistant to Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. melongenae (FOM). A set of 62 inbred lines was evaluated with 32 morphological descriptors and their relationships were analyzed through a multivariate cluster analysis. A subset of 39 inbred lines was selected and, together with 15 sister lines, they were crossed with two testers to investigate their general combining ability (GCA) and to establish heterotic groups. Twenty selected inbred lines with high GCA were intercrossed using a half-diallel mating design. Eighty-two hybrids were obtained and evaluated for yield and yield components. We found no association between morphological distance and membership to specific heterotic groups. However, heterosis for yield was found in hybrids among parents from different heterotic groups or that were included in all heterotic groups. Among the hybrids evaluated, some were found to be highly productive and resistant to FOM, being candidates for the registration of new cultivars with dramatically improved characteristics.
Highlights
Eggplant ranks among the top five vegetable crops in terms of production in Asian and Mediterranean basin countries
We evaluated a set of eggplant lines and crossed them with two testers to identify materials with high general combining ability (GCA)
Benchimol et al [28] found that while the correlations of parental genetic distances and heterosis of the hybrids from the same heterotic group cross were high for grain yield, when parents were from different heterotic groups the correlations were low
Summary
Eggplant ranks among the top five vegetable crops in terms of production in Asian and Mediterranean basin countries. Most of the available eggplant cultivars are susceptible to a wide range of diseases and pests that can cause significant reductions in yield and quality [1]. Rootstocks tolerant to soil diseases and with better efficiency in the use of water and fertilizers, and conferring vigor to the scion are available in eggplant [3,4,5]. The grafting process increases the nursery costs and having varieties that combine high yield and quality with tolerance to stresses is a current eggplant breeding objective. Melongenae (FOM) is the causal agent of Fusarium wilt, one of the major phytopathological problems of eggplant, limiting its cultivation and causing important reductions in yield in both greenhouse and open-field production in Asia and Europe [6,7]. Controlling and eradicating FOM from eggplant fields with agrochemicals is expensive and largely ineffective [8]
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