MEJORA GENÉTICA DE LA BERENJENA.(S. melongena L.)

Abstract

[EN] Eggplant (Solanum melongena L.) is one of the vegetables with highest content in phenolic compounds, giving eggplant a high antioxidant power and other bioactive beneficial health properties. This means that there is a growing demand among consumers concerned about a healthy diet. However, despite being a crop with a great economic importance worldwide, it is one of the least-studied Solanaceae (much less than tomato, pepper and potato), so it is necessary to carry out studies that contribute to the genetic improvement of eggplant to the commercial level so that the genetic diversity is increased and that is adapted to the demands of producers and consumers. The work carried out in this Thesis aims to obtain relevant information for the breeding programmes of eggplant through the study of genetic diversity and development and use of tools for the morphological characterization as well as increasing genetic diversity in germplasm for the development of programs aimed at obtaining high-value hybrids. For achieving this objective, commercial eggplant (semi-larga) black type, as well as other types, origins and varieties of local material are used. In the first part of the Thesis, we rely on the study of genetic diversity in S. melongena and the application of new tools to perform accurate morphological characterization and improve the process of selection of the breeding programs. This diversity studies have been conducted in three centres of origin side in different regions (Spain, Sri Lanka and China), in local materials of eggplant with different typologies, and new phenomic tools have been used for the morphological characterization of the fruit of the eggplant. In the second part of this work, we deal with the development of plant material to increase the genetic base of eggplant cultivars and with the implementation of various programmes for genetic improvement. For this we plan and develop different breeding programs according to different objectives, including the implementation of a programme of improvement of a local variety with protected geographical indication (IGP), and increasing the diversity and new elite material of black type eggplant through a program of genetic improvement. In summary, our work that shows that the study of the genetic diversity and the use of phenomics tools for morphological characterization, as well as the development of new plant material, is very useful for obtaining new varieties of eggplant as well as scientific and technical information of interest to other researchers and breeders. We have also found that public-private research interaction allows a synergistic collaboration in obtaining plant material and information of interest for vegetables breeding.; [ES] La berenjena (Solanum melongena L.) es una de las hortalizas mas ricas en compuestos fenolicos, lo cual le confiere un alto poder antioxidante y otras propiedades bioactivas beneficiosas para la salud. Ello hace que haya una demanda creciente entre consumidores preocupados por una dieta…