Pioneering anther culture-based embryogenesis in Solanum aethiopicum L.

This study aimed to establish a compelling approach for inducing embryogenesis through in vitro anther culture in Scarlet eggplant (Solanum aethiopicum L.), the most consumed and popular eggplant among indigenous vegetables on the African continent. While in vitro androgenesis has been favorably employed in brinjal (Solanum melongena L.) breeding, there has been no attempt to induce embryogenesis in a large germplasm of its relative, Solanum aethiopicum. In two distinct experiments, the largest germplasm collection of Solanum aethiopicum gr. Gilo was assessed for embryogenesis induction using C medium supplemented with different concentrations of hormones. In the first experiment, callus induction was successful with an overall rate of 36.6 calli/100 anthers, but embryo formation was unsuccessful. Statistical analysis revealed a dependency of the rate of callus induction on accessions. In the second experiment, only four selected accessions of Solanum aethiopicum gr. Gilo were used and compared to two Turkish eggplant genotypes of Solanum melongena in two distinct treatments. The results showed that in the first treatment (I), only the accession GKE12 had a satisfactory outcome with a rate of embryo formation of 0.82/100 anthers and 0.41/100 anthers corresponding to the rate of developed embryos. In the second treatment (II), only controls, which were Adana and Kemer cultivars of Solanum melongena formed embryos with a rate of 7.26/100 anthers and 1.15/100 anthers, respectively. The obtained embryo/seedling of Solanum aethiopicum gr. Gilo was found to be diploid. Overall, this study demonstrated that with the right combinations of hormones, it is possible to induce embryogenesis and produce a diploid of Solanum aethiopicum, the world’s second most popular cultivated eggplant after brinjal. These findings could potentially contribute to the breeding of eggplants for enhanced genetic variation and resistance.