CBGG

Eggplant (Solanum melongena L.), also known as aubergine or brinjal, is an economically important horticultural crop from the nightshade family (Solanaceae) which is cultivated for human consumption of its berry fruits. Numerous traits are important for eggplant productivity in diverse environments including disease resistance, abiotic stress resistance, and production traits. Breeding programs utilize heritability estimates to understand the proportional role of genetic factors in phenotypic expression of crops. Examining 60 published studies, this literature review summarizes ranges of observed broad-sense heritability in eggplants for ten traits related to plant architecture (plant height and branch number), phenology (days to first flower and days to fifty percent flowering), fruit characteristics, and production traits (fruit length, fruit girth, fruit diameter, individual fruit mass, and yield). Higher mean broad-sense heritability estimates were observed for yield components rather than yield per se. Due to the importance of population structure and environmental conditions on the estimate of heritability for quantitative traits, estimates are not transferrable; however, generally for all traits examined, breeding programs can expect targeted responses from selection.

breeding; fruit size; heritability; horticulture; phenology