Cross compatibility in interspecific hybridization of eggplant, Solanum melongena, with its wild relatives

Abstract

The eggplant, Solanum melongena L., is one of the most important warm season vegetable crops grown in India. In the present study, interspecific hybridization was carried out involving thirteen cultivated genotypes of eggplant and four wild Solanum species (Solanum incanum, S. aethiopicum, S. integrifolium and S. indicum). The cultivated genotypes were used as female parents and wild species as pollen parents in different cross combinations. The crossability relationship of S. melongena genoptypes with the wild species was determined by occurrence of fruit set (%), number of seeds per fruit and germination (%) of F1 seed. The mean fruit set was maximum for DBSR-91 (41.25%) followed by DBR-G-190 (37.91%) and NDB-25 (32.08%). The maximum number of seeds per fruit (266.92) was obtained in DBR-G-190 followed by Pusa Uttam (101.42) and Sel-91-2 (92.00). The mean value of highest germination (%) of F1 seed was observed for DBSR-91 (41.58%) followed by Pusa Uttam (40.25%) and Sel-91-2 (35.50%) when crossed with wild species. The maximum fruit set (80%) was recorded in cross DBSR-91×S. aethiopicum followed by Pusa Bindu×S. aethiopicum (75%) and NDB-25×S. aethiopicum (75%). The highest germination of F1 seed (71%) was recorded in three cross combinations, Pusa Uttam×S. aethiopicum, Sel-91-2×S. aethiopicum, DBR-G-190×S. aethiopicum. The highest number of seeds per fruit (754) was recorded in DBR-G-190×S. incanum followed by DBSR-52×S. incanum (226.6), DBR-G-190×S. aethiopicum (206). Among the four wild species, S. incanum was found highly crossable with the cultivated S. melongena genotypes. Interspecific crosses reported in this study will be used in transferring desirable traits in different genetic backgrounds of cultivated S. melongena.