ARS | Publication request: In vitro regeneration of solanum aethiopicum L. (scarlet eggplant), an african vegetable crop with potential ornamental value

Submitted to: Southern Nursery Association Research Conference
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: April 19, 2012
Publication Date: June 21, 2012
Citation: Sakhanokho, H.F., Witcher, C.L. 2012. In vitro regeneration of solanum aethiopicum L. (scarlet eggplant), an african vegetable crop with potential ornamental value. Southern Nursery Association Research Conference. vol. 57:309-313.

Interpretive Summary: Solanum aethiopicum, also known as African eggplant or scarlet eggplant, is a vegetable crop mostly grown for its edible fruits. The fruits can be eaten raw or cooked like the common eggplant and are attracting a growing interest in the specialty and exotic vegetable markets of the world. In addition, S. aethiopicum has the potential to be a valuable ornamental crop because of the tremendous diversity found in the color and shape of its leaves, stems, and fruits. Establishment of an efficient and dependable regeneration system in tissue culture is a prerequisite for genetic engineering and other plant breeding schemes using tissue culture applications. The purpose of this study was to develop an efficient and dependable tissue culture system for scarlet eggplant. For this purpose, two types of media, M1 and M2, and shoot tips from five scarlet eggplant accessions were used. M1 was a simple medium consisting The M1 medium consisted of Murashige and Skoog (MS) basal salt mixture supplemented with 20 g/L sucrose, 0.75 g/L MgCl2, and 2 g/L Gelrite and M2 a more complex medium composed of MS modified basal medium, vitamins, and growth regulators. In general, plants grew taller in M1 than in M2. Also, plants consistently formed more roots in M1 than in M2. The number of shoots obtained and visual quality score was similar for both media; however, a few explants in M2 showed signs of morphological malformation even though they tended to outgrow these problems as they matured. In conclusion, African eggplant is readily amenable to in vitro culture, and the medium M1 is recommended for its propagation through meristem or shoot tip culture.

Technical Abstract: Successful in vitro regeneration of plantlets was obtained from shoot tips of five Solanum aethiopicum (African eggplants) accessions evaluated in two media, M1 and M2. The M1 medium consisted of Murashige and Skoog (MS) basal salt mixture supplemented with 20 g/L sucrose, 0.75 g/L MgCl2, and 2 g/L Gelrite and M2 a more complex medium composed of MS modified basal medium with B5 vitamins supplemented with 2 mg/L BA, 0.125 mg/L thiaduzuron, 1 mg/L thiamine, 0.2 g/L myo-inositol, 1 g/L casein hydrolysate, 20 g/L sucrose, 0.75 g/L MgCl2, and 2 g/L Gelrite. After 60 days in culture, plant height ranged from 3.2 cm to 6.6 cm in M1 medium and 2.2 cm to 4.8 cm in M2. In general, plants grew taller in M1 than in M2. Also, plants consistently formed more roots in M1 than in M2. Two accessions, PI 441912 and PI 636107, formed no roots at all after 60 days in M2 even though these two accessions were among those that formed the most roots in M1. The number of shoots obtained and visual quality score was similar for both media; however, a few explants in M2 showed signs of hyperhydricity or physiological and morphological malformation even though they tended to outgrow these problems as they matured.