The Evaluation of Phenotypic Diversity in Eggplant (Solanum melongena L.) Genotypes

Eggplant (Solanum melongena L.) is one of the most important crops in tropical and subtropical areas. Study of variation among existing varieties is essential for development of new varieties. This study was conducted to investigate the quantitative characteristics and trait correlations in 14 eggplant genotypes. The cultivars and genotypes were grown in a randomized complete block design with three replications at research farm of Sari Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources University during 2018. Various traits including plant height, fruit weight, number of fruits per plant, day to 50 % flowering, number of branches per plant, fruit length, fruit diameter and fruit yield were measured. The results showed that there were significant differences among the genotypes for all measured traits at 1 % probability level. According to the results of mean comparisons AVF1 was identified as the best genotype with high fruit yield per plant. The study of trait correlations revealed that fruit yield had a positive and significant correlation with fruit weight, number of fruit per plant, number of branches per plant and fruit length. Using the stepwise regression analysis number of fruits per plant and fruit weight were selected as the significant variable in the model. The biplot analysis based on the first two components showed that there is a suitable genetic diversity among the studied genotypes, which can be used in eggplant breeding programs. Also, according to the direct relationship between the number of fruits per plant and the weight of fruit with fruit yield, these two characteristics can be used as a selection indicator to improve yield in eggplant.