Rajan Neha, Debnath Sandip, Perveen Kahkashan, Khan Faheema, Pandey Brijesh, Srivastava Akanksha, Khanam Mehrun Nisha, Subramaniyan Vetriselvan, Kumarasamy Vinoth, Paul Pronob J, Lal Mohan
Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, Institute of Agriculture, Visva-Bharati University, West Bengal Sriniketan, India.
Department of Botany & Microbiology, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Front Plant Sci. 2023 Aug 31;14:1238870. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1238870. eCollection 2023.
This study explored the molecular characterization of 14 eggplant (brinjal) genotypes to evaluate their genetic diversity and the impact of heterosis. As eggplant is a vital horticultural crop with substantial economic and nutritional value, a comprehensive understanding of its genetic makeup and heterosis effects is essential for effective breeding strategies. Our aim was not only to dissect the genetic diversity among these genotypes but also to determine how genetic distance impacts heterotic patterns, which could ultimately help improve hybrid breeding programs.
Genetic diversity was assessed using 20 SSR markers, and the parental lines were grouped into five clusters based on the Unweighted Pair Group Method of Arithmetic Means (UPGMA). Heterosis was examined through yield and yield-related traits among parents and hybrids.
Polymorphisms were detected in eight out of the twenty SSR markers across the parental lines. Notably, a high genetic distance was observed between some parents. The analysis of yield and yield-related traits demonstrated significant heterosis over mid, superior, and standard parents, particularly in fruit yield per plant. Two crosses (RKML-26 X PPC and RKML1 X PPC) displayed substantial heterosis over mid and better parents, respectively. However, the positive correlation between genetic distance and heterosis was only up to a certain threshold; moderate genetic distance often resulted in higher heterosis compared to very high genetic distance.
These findings emphasize the critical role of parental selection in hybrid breeding programs. The results contribute to the understanding of the relationship between genetic distance and heterosis, and it is suggested that future research should delve into the genetic mechanisms that drive heterosis and the effect of genetic distance variance on heterosis. The insights drawn from this study can be harnessed to enhance crop yield and economic value in breeding programs.
本研究探索了14种茄子基因型的分子特征，以评估它们的遗传多样性和杂种优势的影响。由于茄子是一种具有重要经济和营养价值的重要园艺作物，全面了解其遗传组成和杂种优势效应对于有效的育种策略至关重要。我们的目标不仅是剖析这些基因型之间的遗传多样性，还在于确定遗传距离如何影响杂种优势模式，这最终有助于改进杂交育种计划。
使用20个SSR标记评估遗传多样性，并根据非加权算术平均法（UPGMA）将亲本系分为五个聚类。通过亲本和杂种之间的产量及与产量相关的性状来检测杂种优势。
在亲本系的20个SSR标记中，有8个检测到多态性。值得注意的是，一些亲本之间观察到较高的遗传距离。产量及与产量相关性状的分析表明，相对于中亲、高亲及标准亲，存在显著的杂种优势，特别是在单株果实产量方面。两个杂交组合（RKML - 26×PPC和RKML1×PPC）分别在中亲及高亲上表现出显著的杂种优势。然而，遗传距离与杂种优势之间的正相关仅在一定阈值内；与非常高的遗传距离相比，中等遗传距离通常导致更高的杂种优势。
这些发现强调了亲本选择在杂交育种计划中的关键作用。研究结果有助于理解遗传距离与杂种优势之间的关系，建议未来的研究应深入探究驱动杂种优势的遗传机制以及遗传距离差异对杂种优势的影响。本研究得出的见解可用于提高育种计划中的作物产量和经济价值。
