Performance, genetic diversity and inheritance of fruit colour and shape in eggplant (Solanum melongena L.)

Limited variability in commercially cultivated eggplant spp. has led to the exploration of traditional and cultivated varietal collections as an important strategy for the development of superior-quality hybrids with effective biodiversity conservation. Five parents and 20 F1s of eggplant were characterized using 12 quantitative traits. The fruits were segregated into two groups; i.e., based on their skin colour (purple, striped, and green) and shape (long, round, oblong) while the variation for selected quantitative traits were observed across the germplasm. Analysis of variance revealed a wide range of variability for the traits. Marketable yield per plant was significantly correlated with the number of marketable fruits per plant, harvest duration and number of marketable fruits per node indicating that direct selection based on these parameters might be sufficient for the improvement of other traits which were independent. The first three principal components explained approximately 85.7% of the total variation in eggplant for 12 quantitative traits. Research on the inheritance of fruit colour revealed the presence of a duplicate type of gene action and monogenic inheritance in the crosses viz., Res-2 × Arka Nidhi and Hisar Shyamal × Res-1, respectively. However, duplicate and inhibitory types of gene action were observed in Hisar Shyamal × Res-1 and Arka Nidhi × Hisar Shyamal, respectively, for the fruit shape. Hence, for a particular cross based on overall performance, fruit colour and fruit shape, a specific breeding strategy should be adopted to develop superior hybrids with diverse features.