Detailed karyotype analysis in the Indian eggplants by application of EMA chromosome preparation method

Solanum melongena is one of the tremendously valuable vegetable crops in India, co-existing with its closest wild relative, S. insanum. Given the very few reports on chromosome analysis, the necessity of detailed karyotype investigation in wild and cultivated eggplants was felt. The present work addresses the adoption of an advanced chromosome preparation method for the analysis of ‘small-sized chromosomes’ of eggplants. The employment of enzymatic maceration and air drying (EMA) method enabled comparative analysis of karyotype features of the two allied species based on Giemsa-DAPI (4′-6-diamidino-2-phenylindole) staining. The study offers a reproducible yet simple technique of eggplant chromosome preparation for the first time in Indian populations, opening the scope for chromosome banding or in situ hybridization.