Diallel genetic analysis for multiple traits in eggplant and assessment of genetic distances for predicting hybrids performance.

Evaluation and prediction of the performance of hybrids is important in eggplant (Solanum melongena) breeding. A set of 10 morphologically highly diverse eggplant parents, including nine inbred S. melongena and one weedy S. insanum accessions, were intercrossed according to a half-diallel mating design without reciprocals to obtain 45 hybrids. Parents and hybrids were evaluated for 14 morphological and agronomic conventional descriptors and 14 fruit morphometric traits using Tomato Analyzer. Genetic distances among parents were estimated with 7,335 polymorphic SNP markers. Wide ranges of variation and significant differences were observed in the set of 55 genotypes for all traits, although the hybrids group had significantly higher vigour and yield than parents. General and specific combining abilities (GCA and SCA) were significant for most (GCA) or all (SCA) traits, although a wide variation was obtained for GCA/SCA ratios. Many relevant traits associated to vigour and yield had low GCA/SCA ratios and narrow-sense heritability (h2) values, while the reverse occurred for most fruit shape descriptors. Broad-sense heritability (H2) values were generally high, irrespective of GCA/SCA ratios. Significant correlations were found between traits related to size of leaf, flower and fruit, as well as among many fruit morphometric traits. Genetic distances (GD) among parents were coherent with their phylogenetic relationships, but few significant and generally low correlations were found between GD and hybrid means, heterosis or SCA. The results provide relevant information for developing appropriate strategies for parent selection and hybrid development in eggplant and suggest that GD among parents have limited value to predict hybrid performance in this crop.