Heterotic Hybrids Research Articles

Breeding Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L.) for High Seed Yield, Protein Content and Harvest Index: Genetic Parameters to Identify Useful Parents

Background: Cowpea is a highly adaptable, versatile and nutrient-dense grain legume hampered by low productivity across the globe. The selection of parents for getting high frequency of heterotic hybrids is a topic of recurrent contention among plant breeders. So with regard to obtaining high seed yield, harvest index and protein content, the goal of the current study is to identify parents which upon hybridization will generate superior heterotic hybrids. Methods: Three testers and seven lines were used to develop 21 crosses, totalling to 31 genotypes in the experimental material evaluated at Pulses Research Station, SDAU, Sardarkrushinagar, Gujarat, India. The overall heterotic status (high or low) and gca status (high or low) of each parent and hybrid were determined based on three characters viz., harvest index, protein content and seed yield. Furthermore, the hybrids were classified into various classes according to the parents gca status. Result: Examining the heterotic effect of the crosses along with the individual performance showed that the GC 7 x GC 4 and EC 724035 x PGCP 12 crosses were the best for seed yield per plant, harvest index and protein content. Three of the 7 lines viz., JLS 60, EC 72 3909 and PL 4 and two of the three testers i.e. PGCP 12, PL 7 displayed high overall gca status. Among the hybrids, eleven (52.38%) and twelve (57.14%) were categorised as having high (H) overall sca and heterotic status, respectively, while the remaining crosses were categorised as having low (L) overall sca and heterotic status. As non-additive gene action for these traits predominated in current study, heterotic hybrids for these traits were generated by parents with all combinations i.e. high, contrasting, or even low gca effects. Therefore, when selecting parents based on gca effects, careful consideration should be given to the sort of gene action governing that character.

Multivariate diversity analysis of yield and yield components in pearl millet [pennisetum glaucum (l.) R. Br

Genetic diversity was determined in 50 pearl millet germplasm accessions based on yield and yield components using multivariate diversity analysis. Cluster analysis categorized the 50genotypes in to nine clusters with largest number of genotypes (31) present in cluster I. Clusters III and VIII were identified as distantly related clusters with cluster VIII possessing maximum cluster mean value for various productive traits such as spike girth, single ear head weight, single plant yield and single ear head threshed weight. Characters such as single plant yield, plant height and single ear head weight contributed the maximum towards divergence. So these traits may be given importance for the selection of parents.PCA revealed the existence of three principal components with eigen value more than 1.0 which contributed for 86.28% of the total variability among the traits studied. Based on PCA and cluster analysis, genotypes viz., Kattu cumbu1, Kattu cumbu2, Kattu cumbu3 and PT7035 were adjudged as potential genotypes for the synthesis of heterotic hybrids. Bangladesh J. Bot. 53(4): 1035-1042, 2024 (December)

Study of allelic diversity of the Rf1 gene in grain sorghum samples

Grain sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) is one of the important grain crops in world production. In order to develop valuable heterotic hybrid lines, breeders use cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS), which is mainly based on the A1 (milo) cytoplasm in Russia. This type of CMS is controlled by several genes, one of which is the Rf1 gene. The purpose of the current work was to study the allelic diversity of the Rf1 gene in breeding and collection grain sorghum samples. Genomic DNA of grain sorghum was isolated by the CTAB method from young sprouts. The quantity and quality of DNA were estimated by a spectrophotometer. For PCR analysis, there was used a specific molecular marker Xtxp18, which established a wide allelic diversity of the 30 grain sorghum samples studied. The comparison of the results of molecular analysis and the fertility level of samples in field conditions has shown that the greatest share in the fertility formation belonged to the alleles Rf1j (30 %) and Rf1d (32 %) in the group of fertility restorer samples (B); and the alleles Rf1a (23.33 %), Rf1d (23.33 %) and Rf1c (15 %) in the group of fertile plants not involved in crossing. Alleles Rf1a, Rf1d and Rf1c had a high percentage of association with field fertility of the samples (similar to the effect of the Rf1j allele), and therefore can be used in grain sorghum breeding aimed at developing fertility restorer lines. In order to breed grain sorghum to develop fertility restorer lines, it can be recommended to use samples with the Rf1j allele (associated with fertility), in which it was revealed to a greater extent, and the samples themselves belonged to the group of fertility restorers 21/22, 22/22, 23/22, 24/22 and 27/22. In order to develop sterile lines, there can be used grain sorghum genotypes with the Rf1e allele (associated with sterility) 7/22, 8/22, 9/22 and ZSK 1497/21 after confirming their fixation ability in field conditions.

Genetic variability, diversity and principal component analysis in B and R lines of rabi sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench

Hybrid technology is exploited in kharif (rainy) sorghum while the same is not the scenario in Rabi sorghum which is still dominated by landraces and varieties which have poor yield potentiality. Considering the necessity of development of heterotic hybrids, an attempt was made to screen hybrid parents (B and R lines) to assess variability and genetic diversity, for productivity traits. The study was conducted with 32 B and R lines at Regional Agricultural Research Station, Vijayapur during 2021-22. PCV was observed to surpass GCV across all traits. The traits grain yield per plant, fodder yield per plant, grain number per plant, and harvest index exhibited notably high PCV and GCV. Plant height, panicle length, panicle harvest index, and harvest index recorded high heritability and genetic advance, suggesting their control by additive gene action and potential for improvement via selection. Cluster analysis classified the 32 genotypes into four groups. PCA condensed 14 traits into five principal components, capturing 81.50% of total variation. The genotypes remained scattered in all four quadrants in PCA- Biplot, showing large genetic variability in quantitative traits studied. Keywords: Genetic variability, heritability, diversity, clusters, PCA and rabi sorghum

Strategic genetic amelioration of quality protein maize (QPM) germplasm and its utilization in hybrid breeding

AbstractUse of diverse germplasm for generating heterotic hybrids is the foremost requirement in maize. The present study was conducted by using a diverse set of inbred lines and the line × tester method was applied to identify best performing lines and to group QPM inbred lines into different heterotic groups. The test crosses, developed by following line (66) × tester (CML 161 and CML 165) mating design, were evaluated during winter 2013, rainy 2014 and 2015 seasons at Begusarai and Ludhiana, respectively. Based on the specific combining ability, the lines were categorized into two heterotic groups. Out of 66 novel inbreds, 18 lines with significant SCA with CML165 were classified in group A, 16 inbreds with significant SCA with CML161 were classified in group B and 20 inbreds with significant GCA were classified in group (AB). Nine inbred lines were selected based on their positive GCA values and pedigree crosses were developed in rainy season in 2017. Three crosses were made in heterotic group A and four crosses were in group B for synthesizing new inbred lines by using pedigree method. Heterotic grouping based inbred evaluation trial and biochemical analysis were carried out to estimate per se yield potential of developed lines and to estimate tryptophan content. QIL-4-2491 (Group-A) and QIL-4-2401 (Group-B) were the top yielders. A total of 25 crosses were made among the heterotic groups (A and B) by using 22 lines from groups A and B and three best performing hybrids were identified.

DNA Methylation and Subgenome Dominance Reveal the Role of Lipid Metabolism in Jinhu Grouper Heterosis.

Heterosis of growth traits in economic fish has benefited the production of aquaculture for many years, yet its genetic and molecular basis has remained obscure. Nowadays, a new germplasm of hybrid Jinhu grouper (Epinephelus fuscoguttatus ♀ × E. tukula ♂), abbreviated as EFT, exhibiting paternal-biased growth heterosis, has provided an excellent model for investigating the potential regulatory mechanisms of heterosis. We integrated transcriptome and methylome to unravel the changes of gene expression, epigenetic modification, and subgenome dominance in EFT compared with maternal E. fuscoguttatus. Integration analyses showed that the heterotic hybrids showed lower genomic DNA methylation levels than the purebred parent, and the up-regulated genes were mostly DNA hypomethylation. Furthermore, allele-specific expression (ASE) detected paternal subgenome dominance-regulated paternal-biased heterosis, and paternal bias differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were wholly up-regulated in the muscle. Multi-omics results highlighted the role of lipid metabolism, particularly "Fatty acid synthesis", "EPA biosynthesis", and "Signaling lipids", in EFT heterosis formation. Coherently, our studies have proved that the eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) of EFT was greater than that of maternal E. fuscoguttatus (8.46% vs. 7.46%). Finally, we constructed a potential regulatory network for control of the heterosis formation in EFT. Among them, fasn, pparg, dgat1, igf1, pomca, fgf8a, and fgfr4 were identified as key genes. Our results provide new and valuable clues for understanding paternal-biased growth heterosis in EFT, taking a significant step towards the molecular basis of heterosis.

Sugar beet hybrids based on cytoplasmic male sterility and their useful properties

The study was made during 2017–2020 in Central Black Earth (as basis), some Russian regions and in Kazakhstan. The main indicators were “yield”, “sugar content”, “sugar yield”, which were determined by traditional methods. То improve sowing properties of male sterile (MS) component, seeds were treated with synthesized organic compounds: 6-hydroxy-2,2,4-trimethyl-1,2-dihydroquinoline and 2-benzylamino-4-methylpyrimidine-5-carboxylic acid. An increase of seed germinative energy, seed germination, seedling length, and mass of 100 seedlings in the experiment as compared to the cont rol (%) were calculated. A positive effect from seed treatment on their sowing qualities and a stimulation of growth indicators was revealed in all variants of using the dihydroquinoline and the pyrimidine-carboxylic acid. A high level of monogermity (98–100 %) was noted in obtained hybrids. Studied hybrids show a higher level of main indicators: “yield”, “sugar content”, “sugar yield” compared to the standard. The treatment of uncoated sugar beet seeds with the pyrimidine-carboxylic acid provides an increase in seed germination energy by 29–55 %, seed germination by 25–53 %, average seedling length by 43–70 %, weight of 100 seedlings by 61–80 % compared to the control. Studied substances can be accepted as growth stimulants for sugar beet in laboratory and in field. Using CMS allows to create heterotic hybrids with the complex of economically valuable properties quicker compared to the traditional selection. This research provides obtaining hybrids on a sterile basis and study their useful properties. The results presented in the paper can be applied in the production process of sugar beet hybrids.

Correction: Yadav et al. Assessment of Gene Action and Identification of Heterotic Hybrids for Enhancing Yield in Field Pea. Horticulturae 2023, 9, 997

The Horticulturae Editorial Office wishes to make the following changes to the author’s paper [...]

Rice breeding for higher crop productivity (a review)

The main global trends in the breeding of rice cultivars and hybrids are higher plant productivity, adaptability to cultivation conditions, quality of products, and resistance to environmental stressors, including diseases.Efforts of leading breeding centers in the Philippines and China to further increase the rice yield are associated with a change in the plant morphotype: shorter plants with erectoid leaves and large panicles with a high number of grains.The International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) has developed rice cultivars that under favorable conditions in the tropical zone produce a grain yield of up to 10–11 t/ha, with Kecon = 0.5. A heterotic hybrid of rice was obtained in China with a yield of 13.9 t/ha; it has a new plant morphotype (New Plant Type) and a growing season of 163 days. The hybrid is classified as “super rice”.Modern breeding programs are aimed at producing cultivars of “Green Super Rice” using pedigree methods and backcrossing for introgression of target genes through DNA markers, QTL mapping, pyramiding, and recurrent selection.Russian breeders have traditionally produced rice cultivars adapted to local conditions, with a growing season of no more than 125 days. In the 1980s, a program was launched to develop a high-yielding rice cultivar with erectoid leaves for condensed planting. As a result of multiple stepwise hybridization and targeted selection, new source material with target traits of “super rice” was released. Cv. ‘Polyus-5’ with a new plant morphotype was obtained on its basis. This cultivar was included in the State Register and from 2023 approved for commercial production. During the field trials, ‘Polyus-5’ yielded a maximum of 1380 g/m2 over 120 days of the growing season, under the conditions of condensed sowing and increased mineral nutrition.

Genetic enhancement of reproductive stage drought tolerance in RPHR-1005R and derivative rice hybrids through marker-assisted backcross breeding in rice (Oryza sativa L.).

Drought stress is considered as one of the major production constraints in rice. RPHR-1005R is a restorer line (R-Line) with a popular, medium-slender grain type, and is the male parent of the popular Indian rice hybrid, DRR-H3. However, both the hybrid and its restorer are highly vulnerable to the drought stress, which limits the adoption of the hybrid. Therefore, the selection of the restorer line RPHR-1005R has been made with the objective of enhancing drought tolerance. In this study, we have introgressed a major QTL for grain yield under drought (qDTY 1.1) from Nagina22 through a marker-assisted backcross breeding (MABB) strategy. PCR based SSR markers linked to grain yield under drought (qDTY1.1 - RM431, RM11943), fertility restorer genes (Rf3-DRRM-Rf3-10, Rf4-RM6100) and wide compatibility (S5n allele) were deployed for foreground selection. At BC2F1, a single plant (RPHR6339-4-16-14) with target QTL in heterozygous condition and with the highest recurrent parent genome recovery (85.41%) and phenotypically like RPHR-1005R was identified and selfed to generate BC2F2. Fifty-eight homozygous lines were advanced to BC2F4 and six promising restorer lines and a hybrid combination (APMS6A/RPHR6339-4-16-14-3) were identified. In summary, the six improved restorer lines could be employed for developing heterotic hybrids possessing reproductive stage drought tolerance. The hybrid combination (APMS6A/RPHR6339-4-16-14-3) was estimated to ensure stable yields in drought-prone irrigated lowlands as well as in directly seeded aerobic and upland areas of India.

Identification of heterosis and combining ability in the hybrids of male sterile and restorer sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] lines.

In sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench], combining ability and heterosis analysis are commonly used to evaluate superior parental lines and to screen for strongly heterotic hybrids, which helps in sorghum variety selection and breeding. In this context, combining ability and heterosis analysis were assessed using 14 restorer lines and seven cytoplasmic male sterile (CMS) lines in 2019 and 2020. The analysis of variance of all cross combinations had highly significant differences for all characters studied, which indicated a wide variation across the parents, lines, testers, and crosses. Combining ability analysis showed that the general combining ability (GCA) and specific combining ability (SCA) of the different parents were differed significantly among different traits. Most combinations with high SCA also showed high GCA in their parent lines. The heritability in the narrow sense of grain weight per panicle and grain yield was relatively low, indicating that the ability of these traits to be directly inherited by offspring was weak, that they were greatly affected by the environment. The better-parent heterosis for plant height, grain weight per panicle, panicle length, and 1000-grain weight was consistent with the order of mid-parent heterosis from strong to weak. The GCA effects of two lines 10480A, 3765A and three testers 0-30R, R111, and JY15R were significant for the majority of the agronomic traits including grain yield and might be used for improving the yield of grains in sorghum as parents of excellent specific combining ability. Seven strongly heterotic F1 hybrids were screened; of these, hybrids 3765A × R111, 1102A × L2R, and 3765A × JY15R showed significant increases in seed iristectorigenin A content and will feature into the creation of new sorghum varieties rich in iristectorigenin A.

Improving the efficiency of seed production of heterotic cucumber hybrids in protected soil

Increasing the efficiency of seed production of heterotic cucumber hybrids is the most important task of protected soil vegetable growing. In recent years, modern heterotic cucumber hybrids have almost completely replaced conventional varieties due to higher economically valuable traits. The article presents experimental data on the study of biological and morphological features of cucumber baselines for the production of heterotic hybrids, as well as new agrotechnological methods of growing seedlings, which reduce the economic costs of obtaining pure cucumber lines. As a result of studying the initial maternal lines, it was found that for the development of the aboveground and underground parts of the plant, it is necessary to use ℓ-80 and ℓ-154 to successfully obtain seeds. To get more male flowers when growing seedlings of maternal lines, it is necessary to sow 2 seeds in each pot at a distance of 2-3 cm. In the course of research, a unique method for obtaining male flowers has been developed by changing the density of the standing of the mother cucumber plants (application for patent of the Russian Federation No. 2023131502 dated 11/28/2023).

Role of genetic diversity and combining ability and heterosis in maize (zea mays l.) Hybrids under drought stress

Water stress during flowering stage is a key factor effecting maize productivity in India. Mahalanobis D2 method was used to group one hundred and thirty-three inbred lines based on their phenotypic performance under waters stress condition. Fifteen selected lines were crossed in half diallel fashion to produce 105 direct F1 crosses which were then evaluated under water stress and non-stress condition. Negative correlation was observed between parents mahalanobis distance and grain yield suggesting parents with diverse phenotypic expression need not always produce heterotic hybrids. Mid-parent heterosis showed linear relationship with grain yield and none of the combining ability effects showed significant association with grain yield. Thus, per se performance of inbred lines across the traits under water stress situation has to be considered in selection of parents for production of heterotic hybrids. Bangladesh J. Bot. 52(4): 915-923, 2023 (December)

Development of heterotic hybrids of sweet corn for green ear yield and other component traits

Forty two experimental hybrids generated through full diallel mating were evaluated in Randomized Block Design during kharif 2019 to study the magnitude of heterosis in sweet corn. Mid-parent heterosis ranged from -21 to 258 for DEW; -25 to 2 for GFW; 3 to 229 for GEY and standard heterosis ranged from 2.13 to 134.95 for DEW; 82.93 to 317.07 for GFW; -15.70 to 68.40 for GEY. Green ear yield exhibited positive significant correlation of mid-parent and commercial heterosis with NKPR, DEW and GFW in common, while no significant association between GEY and TSS was observed. The crosses KH1831 × SC Syn, SC Syn × SC Sel 2 and SC Sel 2 × SC Syn manifested highest mid-parent heterosis for de-husked ear weight, green ear yield and green fodder weight thus utilizing these hybrids in breeding programmes will serve for dual purpose of yield with fodder. Bangladesh J. Bot. 52(4): 999-1005, 2023 (December)

Frequency of heterotic hybrids in relation to general combining ability of parents in sweet corn.

The success of developing prominent hybrids directly depends on the selection of parents with good combining ability which can transfer desirable genes with additive effects to their progeny. The data of 42 hybrids generated using 7×7 full diallel design; their seven parents along with three check hybrids were subjected to combining ability analysis from the experiment that was carried out during rainy season 2019. The analysis of variance showed significant general combining ability, and specific combining ability mean sum of squares for all the thirteen characters studied. It is obvious from the results that three lines (SC Sel 2, SC Sel 1 and SC Sel 3) showed high overall general combining ability status, suggesting these lines as good general combiners across traits. Eighteen hybrids had high overall specific combining ability status, while nearly 52% (22 hybrids), 57% (24 hybrids) and 47% (20 hybrids) of crosses showed high overall mid-parent, better-parent and standard heterosis. The unique superiority of crosses involving high overall general combiner parent in the crosses highlighted the importance of using such parents to realize high heterotic crosses. A non-linear relationship between high overall specific combining ability status and heterotic status of hybrids was noticed. The probability of obtaining a cross with high standard heterosis was more with employing parents with high general combining ability status.

Large scale germplasm diversity study to identify the diverse trait-specificaccessions for obtaining high heterotic hybrids in sunflower

The present study was conducted to assess the large scale diversity present among the 2146 sunflower germplasm accessions along with three checks and focuses on the identification of the diverse trait-specific working accessions for the development of the new inbreds which could be utilized in the development of the high heterotic hybrids in sunflower. The cluster means for eight characters of 2149 accessions were obtained, and a large range of mean values among the 14 clusters was recorded for different traits. For a given character based on cluster mean values, we can select highly divergent genotypes from the respective clusters for the development of new inbreds.

Yield structure of highly heterosic winter rye hybrids and features of its formation

In the conditions of the Central Black Earth Region, the peculiarities of yield formation by highly heterotic hybrids of winter rye were studied for 3 years. The purpose of the research is to establish which structural elements and processes are responsible for the formation of higher yields in highly heterotic winter rye hybrids compared to the population variety. Each year 13-18 first-generation hybrids obtained using P-type CMS served as the starting material. The studied hybrids and the standard were sown in pairs on plots of 5 m2 in 6-fold repetition using the standard (dactyl) method. We studied the yield structure only of those hybrids that exceeded the standard—a high-yielding population variety—by 15 percent or more. The studied material was analyzed according to 53 indicators including in addition to the main elements of productivity, a detailed analysis of the ear and stem, as well as a number of characteristics characterizing the cenosis, the plant and its individual organs, physiological characteristics and the quality of the formed grains. As a result of the studies, it was found that highly heterotic hybrids of winter rye form a larger grain yield due to a larger yield of above-ground mass and a larger proportion of grain in it. Large proportion of grain in the above-ground mass of the crop (Kkhos.) is the result of more efficient use by hybrids of reserve plastic substances accumulated as a result of photosynthesis in the stem and ear, in particular. This is confirmed by the lower specific gravity of the stem and its parts (internodes), and higher values of micro-distribution, grain attraction and filling indices, as well as the Canadian index. Heterotic hybrids are characterized by a different type of organogenesis, which differs from that characteristic of modern population varieties. It was concluded that when breeding population varieties of winter rye to increase yield, it is necessary to select genotypes with higher values of the Canadian index and indices of micro-distribution, attraction and grain filling, as well as with a lower specific weight of the stem and its parts.

TilhanTec-SUNH-1 (IIOSH-15-20): A new high seed and oil yielding and downy mildew resistant sunflower hybrid suitable for rainfed condition of India

Aim: To develop more heterotic hybrids for seed and oil yield coupled with resistant or tolerant to major disease (downy mildew) and insect pests (leafhoppers) for commercial cultivation in rainfed conditions and DNA profiling of the newly developed hybrid (TilhanTec-SUNH-1) along with 2 female lines, 4 male lines and 3 hybrids using sunflower specific simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers. Methodology: Two parentages (ARM-243A and RGP-100) were utilized for the development of a new promising sunflower hybrid, TilhanTec-SUNH-1 (IIOSH-15-20). Performance of entry was assessed at 29 and 14 locations, respectively, during the kharif and rabi seasons over three years through All India Coordinated Trials (IHT, AHT-I & II) and a state multilocation trial at three locations. A total of nine quantitative observations were recorded. A total of 80 SSR primers were used on the 4 hybrids for DNA fingerprinting. Results: Considerable seed yield superiority (28.7% and 10.5%) was observed in AICRP trials over DRSH-1 and KBSH-44, respectively. Oil yield superiority was 27.1% and 27.3% compared to national checks DRSH-1 and KBSH-44. TilhanTec-SUNH-1 was found resistant (0%) to downy mildew and leafhoppers (1.1 grade) while tolerant to Alternariaster leaf spot. Four SSR markers, viz., ORS-57, ORS-203, ORS-1028 and ORS-598 can be confidently used for the identification of TilhanTec-SUNH-1 as well as for genetic purity tests. Interpretation: The results of this investigation revealed that TilhanTec-SUNH-1 is superior in terms of seed and oil yield and resistance to downy mildew and moderately resistant to leafhoppers and tolerant to Alternariaster leaf spot. It is notified and released by CVRC for commercial cultivation in rainfed conditions of the sunflower growing states of India. Key words: Downy mildew, Heterosis breeding, Molecular markers, Oil yield, Seed yield

ASSESSMENT OF THE GENETIC DIVERSITY IN SUGAR BEET (BETA VULGARIS L.) USING SSR MARKERS

The genetic diversity and homogeneity of sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L.) source lines underwent analysis to select the promising parental pairs for hybridization. The 420 individual plants from 21 sugar beet lines served as research materials. A result of the study of polymorphism with nine SSR markers obtained 22 alleles, with an average of 2.4 alleles per marker. The Bvv155 marker emerged as the most useful for detecting the genetic diversity of sugar beet lines and predicting heterosis. Identifying the FDSB1002, FDSB1007, and FDSB957 markers as polymorphic determined the intra-linear heterogeneity of the source material. The analysis of molecular variance showed that in the studied sugar beet samples, the highest variation was prominent among the populations (48%), while heterogeneity within the population was 21%. The genetic distances between pollinator lines and lines with cytoplasmic male sterility ranged by 1.4–3.5 (Euclidean distances) and 0.12–1.0 (Nei’s distances). Distinguishing seven parent pairs of sugar beet attained endorsement for crosses having Nei’s genetic distance of D = 0.81 will create highly productive hybrids. The presented results may play a vital role in developing heterotic hybrids in sugar beet through a practical breeding program.

Development of inter-specific hybrids between Solanum melongena L. and Solanum sisymbriifolium Lam. through embryo rescue

In present investigation, inter-specific hybridization between two species was carried out using a three-way cross with the aim to study the response of heterotic hybrids for cross-compatibility and to improve the fertility traits of interspecific cross such as pollen viability and density for further introgression of agronomically important traits. The present investigation highlights genotypic variation of for cross-compatibility between S. melongena hybrids and Solanum sisymbriifolium. Among three hybrids, H3 x Solanum sisymbriifolium (4%) and H4 x Solanum sisymbriifolium (1.5%) showed compatibility for fruit set and developed immature seeds only. The embryo rescue from 25 day-old fruits and in vitro culture on ½ MS medium supplemented with 2mg/L–1BAP showed germination. H5 x S. sisymbriifolium showed 49.4% embryo germination and produced four complete plantlets. Furthermore, all plants were morphologically variable for the presence or absence of spines, flower clustering, slightly curved/straight stigma tip, and flower color. The regenerated plantlets were intermediate to cultivated and wild parents for the quantitative traits. Two SSR markers viz., emg01A17, emh11001 and emb01E03 also confirmed the hybridity of three-way cross plants. Among four interspecific plants, one established high pollen viability (78.5%), while others were partial-fertile (62.8%) and all carried low pollen density (69-299 pollen/ 1cm2) at anthesis. Inbreeding and backcrossing of these plants to both cultivated and wild parents remained unsuccessful. This is the first report of developing a partially-fertile three-way cross between S. melongena and S. sisymbrifollium via embryo rescue.