Screening of Eggplant F3 Segregating Population for Salt Tolerance

Utilizing salt-tolerant varieties in affected lands is the most prominent environmentally friendly solution. Wild relatives of eggplant have tolerance to some abiotic stresses. The aim of the study was to assess salinity tolerance in the third filial segregating population of eggplant lines that were previously associated with salt tolerance, then they could be used in breeding programs. The 50 F3 families resulting from crossings of the inbred line BATEMTDC47 (Solanum melongena L.) and Solanum incanum L. were screened under 150 mM NACl stress. A total of fourteen seedlings at the four-five leaves stage from each of the 50 F3 lines, accompanied by seedlings of two parents, were examined beside, four seedlings per line served as controls. All stressed seedlings were assessed comparatively with their controls by 0-5 visual scale, on the 12th day following the final salt treatment. Additionally, malondialdehyde (MDA) and proline levels in stressed fresh leaf samples were analyzed. The most tolerant four plantlets from each line were selected and transferred to the greenhouse to generate F4 seeds. During the greenhouse cultivation period, 13 morphological traits including plant and fruit features, such as plant height, stem diameter, anthocyanin presence, fruit color, and fruit shape etc., were studied. Following the observations, F3 plants were self-pollinated to produce F4 generation. Except for a few outliers, the visual scale and proline accumulations showed concurrent increases and reductions. Overall, the results also demonstrate that enhancement of salt tolerance of Solanum melongena can be improved using Solanum incanum as a donor of alleles.