Breeding in Brinjal

Gangadhara K.
I PhD
2012-21-125

BRINJAL
Botanical name: Solanum melongena
Family: Solanaceae
Chromosome no 2n = 24
Origin: India
Common name: egg plant

Map of India showing brinjal cultivation area

Brinjal or eggplant (Solanum melongena L.) is an important solanaceous

crop of sub-tropics and tropics.
The name brinjal is popular in Indian subcontinents and is derived from
Arabic and Sanskrit.
whereas the name eggplant has been derived from the shape of the fruit of
some varieties, which are white and resemble in shape to chicken eggs. It is
also called aubergine (French word) in Europe.

8% of total area under vegetables in the country is occupied by brinjal.

It is rich in minerals is Ca, Mg, P, K and Fe. It is also a good source of

Vitamin A and C.

Bitterness in Brinjal is due to presence of glycoalkaloids. Glycoalkaloids

content vary from 0.4 to 0.5 mg per 100 g of fresh weight.

Purple variety has higher copper content and polyphenol oxidase activity
where as iron and catalase activity is the highest in the green cultivars.
Amino acid content is higher in purple variety.

Climate and Soil

It is a versatile crop adapted to different agro-climatic regions and can be
grown throughout the year.
Brinjal is a warm season vegetable and susceptible to severe frost. low
temperature during the cool season cause abnormal development of the
ovary (splitting) in flower buds.
The optimum temperature for growth and fruit set is 20-30C. However
the high night and day temperature condition of 22-24C to 33-35C
markedly reduce fruit set and yield (Kalloo et al, 1990).
The brinjal can be grown practically on all soils from light sandy to heavy
clay. Light soils are good for an early crop, while clay loam and silt-loam
are well suited for high yield.
The soil pH should not be more than 5.5 to 6.0 for its better growth and
development. It is moderately tolerant to acidic soil.

Growth and development

Brinjal is usually transplanted rather than direct seeded in the field as it

provides the best means of establishing a uniform and complete stand of
plants.
Brinjal seeds germinate one to two weeks after sowing. A main stem
with 6-10 leaves develop before the appearance of first flower.
Depending on whether the sowing period corresponds to more or less
favourable agro climatic conditions, the first flower appears one and a half
to three months after sowing.

Taxonomy

Brinjal belongs to the family Solanaceae and is known under the botanical
name Solanum melongena L.

The family contains 75 genera and over 2000 species, out of which, about 150200 are tuber bearing and belong to section Tuberarium. The majority of species
(about 1800) are non tuber bearing. Cytological studies have indicated that
basic chromosomal number 2n = 24 is same in almost all the varieties and
species.

There are 3 main botanical varieties under the species melongena (Choudhury,
1976a). The common brinjal, to which large, round or egg shaped fruited forms
belong, are grouped under var. esculentum. The long, slender types are included
under var. serpentinum and the dwarf brinjal plants are put under var.
depressum.

Floral biology
Brinjal flowers are large, violet coloured and solitary or in clusters of two
or more. Flower consists of calyx: sepals 5, united, persistent; corolla: petals
5, united, usually cup shaped; Androecium : stamens 5, alternate with corolla;
Gynoecium: carpels are united, ovary superior.
In most varieties the perfect flowers are borne singly and opposite the
leaves.
Anthesis
starts in morning by7am and continuous till noon. Stigma becomes receptive
after 2hrs of flower opening. Anther dehiscence is not uniform. Stigma
receptivity and pollen viability last for 2-3 hrs.

Adaptations
a) For self pollination
1.

Bisexual nature of flowers

2.

Nearness of anther and stigma

3.

Simultaneous maturity of androecium and gynoecium

4.

Long styled nature and downward position of flowers.

b) For cross pollination

5.

Delay in anther dehiscence

6.

Closed anther condition

7.

Prolonged viability of pollengrains and receptivity of stigma

Pollination
Brinjal is usually self-pollinated, but the extent of cross-pollination has been
reported as high as 48% and hence it is classified as cross-pollinated crop.
The cone-like formation of anthers favours self pollination; but since the
stigma ultimately projects beyond the anthers, there is an ample opportunity
for cross-pollination.
The rates of natural cross-pollinationmay vary depending on genotype,
location, and insect activity.

Flowers in brinjal are of different styles.

a)

Long styled flowers: they have a big ovary, stigma is swollen, long
anthers.

b)

Medium styled flowers: it has medium, long style, anthers are of same
length, ovary is also medium sized.

c)

Short styled flowers: they have rudimentary ovary.

d)

Pseudo short styled flowers: ovary is rudimentary. Style should be

shorter than the anther. No swelling of anther is observed.

Only long style and medium style flowers will set fruits. Entire plant surface
is covered by hairy layer called tomentum

Long
Styled

Medium
styled

Short
styled

Genetics of characters
Fruit shape 3 genes- Round shape is partially dominant to long oval
Prickly nature- monogenic prickly is dominant to non prickly
Fruit Clusterness- monogenic Clusternees is partially dominant to
solitary
Fruit size- monogenic large fruit size is partially dominant to small fruit
size
Fruit colour- monogenic Purple is dominant to green

BREEDING OBJECTIVES:
1. High yield
2. Earliness
3. Fruit shape, size and colour as per consumers preference
4. Low proportion of seed
5. Soft flesh
6. Upright study plant free from lodging.
7. Resistance to diseases like bacterial wilt, blights.
8. Resistance to insects like shoot and fruit borer, jassids etc.

Breeding methods
1. Introduction: This method may be useful in other countries but not
to India.
2. Pure line selection: e.g., Pusa Purple long, Co.1, Arka Sheel, A.
Kusumakar, A. Shirish etc.
3. Pedigree selection: Many varieties have been developed through
hybridization and subsequent pedigree selection. e.g., Pusa Kranti,
Pusa Anmol, Hissar Shyamal, Hissar Jamun etc
4. Heterosis breeding: Many F1 hybrids have been developed and
released for commercial cultivation. e.g., Arka Navneet, Kaveri

5. Hybridization for resistance breeding: Resistance is not available in the

cultivated varieties. Wild varieties like S. incanum, S. xanthocarpum are reported
to be resistant and used in hybridization programme. However the inferior quality
of the fruits of wild species associated with resistance are often expressed in the
hybrid progenies.
6. Backcrossing: is normally follow to transfer genes conferring resistance to
disease like bacterial wilt resistance which has been shown to be under a single
dominant gene.
7. Biotechnological Methods: e.g.. Bt. Brinjal

Status of biotechnological interventions

Fruits and shoot borer i.e. Leucinodes orbonalis being the most destructive
pest in brinjal crop, efforts have been made to develop insect resistance
brinjal varieties by incorporating cry1Ac gene in brinjal from a bacterium
mainly Bacillus thuringiensis, commonly known as Bt brinjal.

The Bt brinjal developed by M/s Maharashtra Hybrid Seeds Company

Limited containing cry1Ac gene is in the advanced stages of large scale field
evaluation.

MAHYCO has also transferred Bt brinjal technology to public sector

institutions viz. Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU), Coimbatore,
University of Agricultural Sciences (UAS), Dharwad and Indian Institute of
Vegetable Research (IIVR), Varanasi, who have successfully backcrossed
into locally adopted open pollinated brinjal varieties.

The technology has been also transferred to Institute of Plant Breeding of the
University of Philippines. National Research Centre on Plant Biotechnology
(NRCPB), New Delhi has also developed

Bt- insect toxin

Bt denotes Bacillus thuringiensis, a soil borne gram positive
bacteria, whose genes produce delta endotoxins that are toxic to
insect pest. These toxins interfere with ion uptake in alkaline insect
midgut.

What is Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt)

Soil bacterium; ubiquitous

Different strains produce their

own insecticide proteins.

The protein is called as cry protein for its crystal form.

Each cry protein selectively

affects insects belonging to a particular order (eg.,Coleoptera,

Diptera, etc) at
their very early larval stage

50 - 90% of damage is caused by fruit and shoot

borer

Shoot damage

Fruit Damage

Formation of toxin fragments

by Cry protein

Mode of action of Bt toxin crystal

23

Methods of F1 Hybrid seed production

Hand emasculation and hand pollination

Use of male sterility
Induction of sterility through use of growth regulators and gamatocides.MH @ 100 ppm

F1 hybrids
Small fruited- MHB10, ABH-2, Hybrid-2, Arura
Round fruited Pusa hybrid seeds, NDB- Hybrid-1.
Long fruited Pusas Hybrid 5, Panth Hybrid 1, ARU 1,
A. Navaneet

Inter specific hybridization

1. Solanum melongena var. insanum - Resistant to bacterial wilt
2. S. xanthocarpum
3. Solanum nigrum

Resistant to Phomopsis

blight
4. S. sisymbrifolium
5. S. torvum
6. S. khasianum
7. S. incanum X S. melongena
8.

S. incanum X S. indicum

Resistant to spotted beetle

CROP

DISEASE

RESISTANT/TOL

ORGANIZATION

ERANT VARIETY WHERE BRED

EGG PLANT

Bacterial wilt

Pusa Purple
Cluster
Pant Samrat, Pant
Rituraj, Pant
Brinjal Hybrid
Arka Kesav, Arka
Nidhi and Arka
Neelkanth

IARI, New Delhi

GBPUAT,
Pantnagar

IIHR, Bangalore

IARI RRS ,Katrain

Pusa Anupam
KAU, Kerala
Surya
AAU, Jorhat
JC-1 and JC-2
Phomopsis Blight

Pusa Bhairav

IARI, New Delhi

KAU
College of Horticulture, Varieties
Vellanikkara

Single plant selection from SM-6 from Annamalai

Purple and Oval fruits
Surya (SM.6-7)
Resistant to Bacterial Wilt

Swetha

Single plant selection from SM -6 from Annamalai

White and Medium to Long Fruits, Non Prickly
Resistant to Bacterial Wilt.

Single plant selection from Edapally local

Light green, long and fleshy fruits
Resistant to bacterial wilt caused by Ralstonia solanacearum.
Haritha

Developed through heterosis breeding

F hybrid from the cross Surya x SM 116
Large oval to round glossy violet fruits
Resistant to bacterial wilt.
Neelima

28

Thank you