Progress of research on distant hybridization of eggplant

ZHU Caihong; YANG Xu

doi:10.16861/j.cnki.zggc.2024.0757

Abstract：Eggplant is an important globally vegetable crop with high nutritional value,rich in vitamin E and alkaloids,and also offers health benefits.However,the genetic base of cultivated eggplant is narrow,and many disease-resistant genes are found in wild relatives and semi-domesticated species,leading to frequent challenges such as continuous crop-ping obstacles and Verticillium wilt.Thus,integrating disease-resistant and stress-tolerant genes from wild eggplants into cultivated varieties through distant hybridization has become a critical breeding strategy.Studies indicate that wild egg-plants exhibit high resistance to Verticillium wilt,low-temperature and high-temperature stress,but face reproductive isola-tion barriers when hybridized with cultivated varieties.Distant hybridization encounters challenges including pre-fertiliza-tion barriers,post-fertilization barriers,and F1 hybrid sterility.These barriers can be partially overcome through parental selection and optimization of pollination techniques.Future efforts should focus on systematically collecting wild egg-plant resources,expanding resistance research to nutritional and quality traits,and integrating genomics,gene editing,and traditional breeding to develop new cultivars with enhanced disease resistance,stress tolerance,high yield,and excellent quality.Innovations in distant hybridization technologies and interdisciplinary approaches will be pivotal for improving eggplant breeding efficiency and achieving sustainable development.