Breeding Eggplant for Higher Productivity and Bacterial Wilt Tolerance

Abstract

Eggplant (Solanum melongena L.) has the potential for improvement through heterosis breeding, which can be further utilized for development of desirable recombinants. A Line × Tester mating design was used to determine heterosis over better parent, combining ability, and gene action for 11 characters in eggplant. Crosses showing high specific combining ability (sca) and yield involved parents showing high general combining ability (gca) for fruit weight, fruit diameter, or fruit length. Two hybrids, ‘VNR-218’ × ‘BCB-11’ and ‘Arka Nidhi’ × ‘KS-331’ were selected on the basis of their per se (mean) performance: heterosis and the sca effects. These hybrids could be used commercially due to high yield and low percentage disease index (PDI) values for bacterial wilt disease. The preponderance of nonadditive gene action was evident for control of all characters studied. Parental lines and hybrids were categorized according to disease reaction. Average large vessel area of stems and roots of the hybrids was negatively correlated with PDI. Larger vessel area in the vascular bundle needs to be considered in the selection of hybrids for resistance to bacterial wilt disease.