Inheritance of Anthocyanin Pigment and Photosensitivity in Eggplant (Solanum melongena L.) Fruit

Abstract

Eggplant (Solanum melongena L.) fruit contains several anthocyanins, and their levels are well known to fluctuate depending on the light condition. In eggplant, although two major anthocyanins, nasunin and tulipanin, have been isolated from the fruit, the inheritance mode of their light-dependent formation is not clear. In this study, to clarify the genetic characteristics of anthocyanin production and photosensitivity in eggplant fruits, we investigated the segregation and photosensitivity of anthocyanin in the F1 and F2 hybrids of ‘Kumamoto-naga’ (Japanese eggplant containing nasunin) and ‘Black Beauty’ (American eggplant containing tulipanin) grown under normal or dark conditions. The major anthocyanin of the F1 fruit was nasunin. In the F2 fruit the anthocyanins were present in a ratio of 3:1 (nasunin: tulipanin). In addition, based on the results obtained under dark conditions, the genetic characteristic of photosensitivity in the major anthocyanins was segregated into the ratio of 9:3:3:1 (nasunin of the non-photosensitive type : nasunin of the photosensitive type: tulipanin of the non-photosensitive type: tulipanin of the photosensitive type). These results reveal that the inheritance of major anthocyanins (nasunin and tulipanin) and that of the photosensitivity (photosensitive type and non-photosensitive type) of anthocyanin production do not interact but are independent.