Assessing diversity among traditional Greek and foreign eggplant cultivars using molecular markers and morphometrical descriptors

Eggplant is a widely cultivated vegetable crop of great economic importance. Its long lasting history of domestication, selection and breeding has led to the development of numerous cultivars with variable traits. In the present study, we assessed the diversity levels within and among eleven Greek and foreign cultivars, using 22 morphological descriptors and two different classes of molecular markers (retrotransposon microsatellite amplified polymorphism-REMAP markers and nuclear microsatellites). Our results, in accordance with other studies in the field showed: a) the limited levels of genetic polymorphism within the cultivars; b) the high morphological and genetic divergence existing among them as indicated by the genetic distance values calculated, which could be attributed to selection, inbreeding and bottleneck effects; and c) the lack of concordance among morphological descriptors and molecular markers. Despite these, our analysis showed that the utilization of combinations of markers is an effective method for the characterization of plant material providing also useful diagnostic tools for the identification and authentication of the selected Greek cultivars

VERTICILLIUM WILT IN EGGPLANT AND BREEDING FOR RESISTANCE IN THREE GREEK EGGPLANT CULTIVARS

ΟΙ ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΕΣ ΠΟΙΚΙΛΙΕΣ ΜΕΛΙΤΖΑΝΑΣ "ΕΜΙ", "ΤΣΑΚΩΝΙΚΗ", "ΛΑΓΚΑΔΑ" ΚΑΙ "ΣΚΟΥΤΑΡΙ"ΕΔΕΙΞΑΝ ΔΙΑΦΟΡΕΤΙΚΟ ΒΑΘΜΟ ΕΥΠΑΘΕΙΑΣ ΣΤΗ ΒΕΡΤΙΣΙΛΛΙΩΣΗ. ΟΙ ΑΠΩΛΕΙΕΣ ΤΗΣ ΠΡΩΙΜΗΣ ΕΜΠΟΡΕΥΣΙΜΗΣ ΑΠΟΔΟΣΗΣ ΤΗΣ ΜΕΛΙΤΖΑΝΑΣ ΠΟΥ ΟΦΕΙΛΟΝΤΑΙ ΣΤΗ ΒΕΡΤΙΣΙΛΛΙΩΣΗ ΥΠΟΛΟΓΙΣΘΗΚΑΝ ΚΑΤΑ ΜΕΣΟ ΟΡΟ ΣΕ 12.8%, ΕΝΩ ΟΙ ΣΥΝΟΛΙΚΕΣ ΑΠΩΛΕΙΕΣ ΣΤΟ ΤΕΛΟΣ ΤΗΣ ΚΑΛΛΙΕΡΓΗΤΙΚΗΣ ΠΕΡΙΟΔΟΥ ΣΕ 37.6%. ΤΑ ΠΟΙΟΤΙΚΑ ΧΑΡΑΚΤΗΡΙΣΤΙΚΑ (PH, ΣΤΕΡΑ ΔΙΑΛΥΤΑ BRIX) ΤΩΝ ΚΑΡΠΩΝ ΤΗΣ ΜΕΛΙΤΖΑΝΑΣ ΔΕΝ ΕΠΗΡΕΑΣΘΗΚΑΝ ΑΠΟ ΤΗ ΒΕΡΤΙΣΙΛΛΙΩΣΗ, ΕΝΩ Η ΣΤΙΛΠΝΟΤΗΤΑ ΤΟΥΣ ΕΠΗΡΕΑΣΘΗΚΕ ΑΡΝΗΤΙΚΑ ΚΑΙ ΣΗΜΑΝΤΙ ΚΑ. ΠΡΟΒΛΕΨΗ ΤΗΣ ΑΝΑΜΕΝΟΜΕΝΗΣ ΑΠΟΔΟΣΗΣ ΜΠΟΡΕΙ ΝΑ ΓΙΝΕΙ ΜΕ ΤΟ ΠΡΟΤΕΙΝΟΜΕΝΟ ΥΠΟΔΕΙΓΜΑ ΣΤΗΝ ΑΡΧΗ ΣΧΕΔΟΝ ΤΗΣ ΠΕΡΙΟΔΟΥ ΣΥΓΚΟΜΙΔΗΣ ΜΕ ΒΑΣΗ ΤΑ ΣΥΜΠΤΩΜΑΤΑ ΚΑΙ ΤΟ ΥΨΟΣ ΤΩΝ ΦΥΤΩΝ. ΟΙ ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΕΣ ΠΟΙΚΙΛΙΕΣ "ΕΜΙ", ΤΣΑΚΩΝΙΚΗ", ΚΑΙ "ΛΑΓΚΑΔΑ" ΕΔΕΣΑΝ ΚΑΡΠΟΥΣ ΟΤΑΝ ΕΠΙΚΟΝΙΑΣΘ ΗΚΑΝ ΜΕ ΤΑ ΑΝΘΕΚΤΙΚΑ ΣΤΗ ΒΕΡΤΙΣΙΛΛΙΩΣΗ ΑΓΡΙΑ ΕΙΔΗ SOLANUM TORVUM & SOLANUM SISYMBRIIFOLIUM.ΜΕΤΑ ΑΠΟ ΕΠΙΚΟΝΙΑΣΗ ΜΕ ΓΥΡΗ ΑΠΟ ΤΑ ΑΓΡΙΑ ΕΙΔΗ ΚΑΙ ΚΑΛΛΙΕΡΓΕΙΑ ΑΝΩΡΙΜΩΝΔΙΕΙΔΙΚΩΝ ΣΠΕΡΜΟΒΛΑΣΤΙΚΩΝ ΤΩΝ ΠΑΡΑΠΑΝΩ ΠΟΙΚΙΛΙΩΝ, ΔΗΜΙΟΥΡΓΗΘΗΚΑΝ ΔΙΕΙΔΙΚΑ F1 ΥΒΡΙΔΙΑ ΚΑΙ ΤΩΝ ΤΡΙΩΝ ΠΟΙΚΙΛΙΩΝ ΜΕ ΤΟ S. TORVUM ΟΧΙ ΟΜΩΣ ΜΕ ΤΟ S. SISYMBRIIFOLIUM. ΤΟ ΔΙΕΙΔΙΚΟ F1 ΥΒΡΙΔΙΟ (ΠΟΙΚ. "ΛΑΓΚΑΔΑ" S. TORVUM) ΠΟΥ ΔΗΜΙΟΥΡΓΗΘΗΚΕ ΗΤΑΝ ΣΤΕΙΡΟ ΚΑΙ ΤΑΥΤΟΠΟΙΗΘΗΚΕ ΜΕ ΒΑΣΗ ΤΑ ΜΟΡΦΟΛΟΓΙΚΑ ΧΑΡΑΚΤΗΡΙΣΤΙΚΑ ΤΟΥ ΚΑΙ ΜΕ ΒΙΟΧΗΜΙΚΟΥΣ ΔΕΙΚΤΕΣ. ΤΟ ΥΒΡΙΔΙΟ ΑΥΤΟ ΕΙΧΕ ΤΤΟΝ ΙΔΙΟ ΑΡΙΘΜΟ ΧΡΩΜΟΣΩΜΑΤΩΝ ΜΕ ΤΟΥΣ ΓΟΝΕΙΣ, ΒΙΩΣΙΜΗ ΓΥΡΗ 1.21%, ΗΤΑΝ ΑΝΘΕΚΤΙΚΟ ΣΤΗ ΒΕΤΡΙΣΙΛΛΙΩΣΗ ΚΑΙ ΕΓΙΝΑΝ ΕΠΙΤΥΧΕΙΣ ΕΠΑΝΑΔΙΑΣΤΑΥΡΩΣΕΙΣ ΤΟΥ ΔΙΕΙΔΙΚΟΥ F1 ΥΒΡΙΔΙΟΥ ΜΕ ΤΗ ΜΗΤΕΡΑ ΣΕ ΠΟΣΟΣΤΟ 1.73%, ΑΛΛΑ ΟΙ ΚΑΡΠΟΙ ΠΟΥ ΑΠΟΚΤΗΘΗΚΑΝ ΔΕΝ ΕΙΧΑΝ ΣΠΟΡΟΥΣ.THE GREEK EGGPLANT CULTIVARS, "EMI", "TSAKONIKI", "LANGADA" AND "SKOUTARI", TESTED WERE FOUND SUSCEPTIBLE TO VERTICILLIUM WILT BUT IN DIFFERENT LEVELS. ON THEAVERAGE, THE EARLY COMMERCIAL YIELD LOSSES OF EGGPLANT DUE TO VERTICILLIUM WERE 12.8%, WHILE THE LOSSES AT THE END OF THE CULTIVATION PERIOD WERE ABOUT 37.6%. THE EGGPLANT FRUIT QUALITY CHARACTERISTICS (PH, BRIX) WAS NOT AFFECTED BY THE PROGNOSIS AT THE BEGINNING OF THE PRODUCTION PERIOD, BY THE PROPOSED MODEL IS BASED ON THE PLANT SYMPTOMS AND THE PL ANT HEIGHT. SUCCESSFUL CROSSES WERE MADE BETWEEN EGGPLANT CULTIVARS "EMI", "TSAKONIKI" AND "LANGADA" AND THE RESISTANT TO VERTICILLIUM WILD SPECIES SOLANUM TORVUM AND SOLANUM SISYMBRIIFOLIUM. INTERSPECIFIC F1 HYBRIDS BETWEEN THE THREE EGGPLANT CULTIVARS AN D S. TORVUM WERE OBTAINED AFTER IN VITRO CULTURE OF IMMATURE INTERSPECIFIC VAULES. INTERSPECIFIC F1 HYBRIDS OF THE ABOVE CULTIVARS WITH S. SISYMBRIIFOLIUM WERE NOT OBTAINED, HOWEVER. THE INTERSPECIFIC F1 HYBRID ("LANGADA" CV. X S. TORVUM) WAS STERILE AND I T WAS IDENTIFIED WITH MORPHOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS AND WITH BIOCHEMICAL MARKERS. THIS HYBRID HAD THE SAME CHROMOSOME NUMBER WITH ITS PARENTS, VIABLE POLLEN 1.21%, REGULAR MITOSIS AND WAS RESISTANT TO VERTICILLIUM WILT.SUCCESSFUL BACKROSSES OF THE INTERSP ECIFIC F1 HYBRID (1.73%) WITH CV. "LANGADA" WERE PERFORMED, BUT THE FRUITS OBTAINED WERE SEEDLESS

Assessing diversity among traditional Greek and foreign eggplant cultivars using molecular markers and morphometrical descriptors

Eggplant is a widely cultivated vegetable crop of great economic importance. Its long lasting history of domestication, selection and breeding has led to the development of numerous cultivars with variable traits. In the present study, we assessed the diversity levels within and among eleven Greek and foreign cultivars, using 22 morphological descriptors and two different classes of molecular markers (retrotransposon microsatellite amplified polymorphism-REMAP markers and nuclear microsatellites). Our results, in accordance with other studies in the field showed: a) the limited levels of genetic polymorphism within the cultivars; b) the high morphological and genetic divergence existing among them as indicated by the genetic distance values calculated, which could be attributed to selection, inbreeding and bottleneck effects; and c) the lack of concordance among morphological descriptors and molecular markers. Despite these, our analysis showed that the utilization of combinations of markers is an effective method for the characterization of plant material providing also useful diagnostic tools for the identification and authentication of the selected Greek cultivars