Development of a cytoplasmic male‐sterile line of eggplant (Solanum melongena L.) with the cytoplasm of Solanum anguivi

Abstract

With 4 figures and 3 tables AbstractTo develop a new cytoplasmic male‐sterile line of eggplant utilizing the Solanum anguivi cytoplasm, the interspecific hybrid (S. anguivi × eggplant ‘Senryo 2 gou’) was repeatedly backcrossed to eggplant ‘Uttara’ up to BC5 generation to achieve cytoplasm substitution. Chloroplast and mitochondrial DNA analyses confirmed that backcross progenies had the S. anguivi cytoplasm. In the backcross progenies, male‐sterile plants, whose anthers were completely devoid of pollen grains, appeared. All the backcross generations obtained from the male‐fertile seed parents segregated into male‐fertile and sterile types with a 3 : 1 ratio, whereas those obtained from the male‐sterile one were all male‐sterile. The selfed progeny from a male‐fertile BC5 plant (selfed progeny 1) and the selfed progeny from the male‐fertile selfed progeny 1 segregated at 15 : 1 and 3 : 1 ratios, respectively. These results indicated that two independent dominant fertility restorer (Rf) genes control pollen formation. A new male‐sterile line of eggplant could be developed by utilizing the cytoplasm of S. anguivi.