A Compendium for Novel Marker-Based Breeding Strategies in Eggplant

Abstract

The worldwide production of eggplant is estimated at about 58 Mt, with China, India and Egypt being the major producing countries. Breeding efforts in the species have mainly focused on increasing productivity, abiotic and biotic tolerance/resistance, shelf-life, the content of health-promoting metabolites in the fruit rather than decreasing the content of anti-nutritional compounds in the fruit. From the literature, we collected information on mapping quantitative trait loci (QTLs) affecting eggplant’s traits following a biparental or multi-parent approach as well as genome-wide association (GWA) studies. The positions of QTLs were lifted according to the eggplant reference line (v4.1) and more than 700 QTLs were identified, here organized into 180 quantitative genomic regions (QGRs). Our findings thus provide a tool to: (i) determine the best donor genotypes for specific traits; (ii) narrow down QTL regions affecting a trait by combining information from different populations; (iii) pinpoint potential candidate genes.

Evaluation of three sets of advanced backcrosses of eggplant with wild relatives from different gene pools under low N fertilization conditions

“…The identification of 16 putative significant QTLs across three different sets of ABs demonstrates the potential of genetic variation present in wild eggplant relatives. QTLs located on chromosome 2 for S. dasyphyllum and S. elaeagnifolium , associated with plant growth, yield, and fruit size parameters, may suggest the presence of genetic linkage or a pleiotropic locus, which is consistent with results reported in previous studies [ 15 , 38 , 58 , 59 ]. Furthermore, QTLs detected on chromosomes 2 and 9 for fruit pedicel and calyx length, as well as fruit weight, have also been identified in different collections and eggplant populations in earlier studies [ 15 , 38 , 58 , 60–62 ].…”

Revitalizing agriculture: next-generation genotyping and -omics technologies enabling molecular prediction of resilient traits in the Solanaceae family

“…Different approaches have been applied also in eggplant, not only investigating natural populations but also analyzing segregation patterns within mapping crosses, as reviewed by Gaccione et al. (2023) .…”

“…Recently, Gaccione et al. (2023) comprehensively reviewed the state of the art of transcriptomic research for biotic and abiotic stress in eggplant, combining such information with QTLs data, when possible, with the aim of identifying potential candidates for eggplant resilience.…”

“…Different approaches have been applied also in eggplant, not only investigating natural populations but also analyzing segregation patterns within mapping crosses, as reviewed by Gaccione et al (2023). , Barchi et al (2012 utilized the restriction-site associated DNA strategy combined with high throughput sequencing (RADseq) to develop a large number of functional SNP markers.…”

“…Recently, Gaccione et al (2023) comprehensively reviewed the state of the art of transcriptomic research for biotic and abiotic stress in eggplant, combining such information with QTLs data, when possible, with the aim of identifying potential candidates for eggplant resilience. For instance, QTLs and candidate genes associated with bacterial wilt resistance were organized in quantitative genomic regions (QGRs) associated with resistance traits on chromosome 4 and 1.…”