Identification of Promising Eggplant Genotypes for Root-knot Nematode (Meloidogyne incognita) Resistance

Abstract

Parasitic Meloidogyne incognita root-knot nematodes (RKNs) represent one of the most serious eggplant (Solanum melongena) biotic stress problems. We evaluated 47 eggplant genotypes, including three cultivated eggplant, 13 wild accessions, and 31 eggplant prebreeding materials (S. melongena introgressed with wild relatives), to determine their resistance to M. incognita based on disease severity (%), gall number/plant, and egg mass number/plant. Wide variability in resistance was noticed among the tested genotypes. Solanum sisymbriifolium SIS1 and the eggplant line F2-10, which has introgressions from S. incanum INC1, had the highest resistance to nematode infestation, with the lowest disease severity (1.43% and 8.86%, respectively), gall number, gall index, egg mass index, and number of egg masses. Additionally, accession S. anguivi ANG1 displayed moderate resistance. Interestingly, S. sisymbriifolium SIS1 had the highest root, shoot, and total fresh weights. S. anguivi ANG1 had the next highest root and total fresh weights. This study provides novel sources of resistance to nematodes, and these resistant materials could be used in breeding programs to develop RKN-resistant eggplant cultivars or as resistant rootstocks for eggplant and tomato crops.