ISHS Acta Horticulturae 412: I International Symposium on Solanacea for Fresh Market
GENETIC RESOURCES AND BREEDING OF AUBERGINE (SOLANUM MELONGENA L.) |
| Author: | V. Swarup |
| Keywords: | Genetic resources, breeding, aubergine, Solanum melongena |
| DOI: | 10.17660/ActaHortic.1995.412.6 |
| Abstract:
Aubergine or the the eggplant is an important Solanaceous vegetable crop of the tropics and the present evidence points out that it is a native of India. Distribution in India comprises wild species, land races and primitive cultivars. There is a wide diversity in plant habit, vegetative characters, floral morphology and more importantly in fruit size, shape and colour. Hence local or regional preferences on the basis of fruit characters are very common which account for a large number of varieties in cultivation, including local and improved cultivars. Secondary diversity has been reported in South East Asia and China, while in Africa other species like S. macrocarpon L. and S. incanum L. are important. Most of the breeding work done in India on eggplant has been through pure line selection from local populations and hybridization. The eggplant withstands inbreeding depression and shows a marked response to heterosis. In hot humid climate, cross-pollination may occur up to 20 per cent, mainly due to heterostyly even though it is treated as a self-pollinated crop. Sources of resistance to Phomopsis blight, nematode (Meloidogyne sp.), and bacterial wilt (Pseudomonas) have been identified and moderate resistance to little leaf (caused by mycoplasma) and to fruit and shoot borer (Leucinodes sp.) have also been identified. | |
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