Sviluppo della tecnologia frutto mini e valorizzazione di ecotipi di melanzana

The main purposes of the work were to evaluate the performance of some Italian eggplant landraces displaying different fruit characteristics in view of their possible valorization and to develop cluster mini fruit type eggplants. All the Italian landraces were susceptible to Fusarium oxysporum and very sensitive to Verticillium. This is one of the major hindrances for the diffusion of these landraces into new growing areas, also because other defects such as delayed production, low fertility and fruit quality (calyx prickliness, flesh colour and sponginess, skin colour, etc) are present. All these defects are particularly important in the case of the landraces belonging to the so-called violet-lilac fruit typology (“Violetta di Firenze”, “Tunisina”, “Mulinciana Ri Sita”) since only recently breeding programs have been started by private seed companies and public institutions. On the contrary, valuable F1 cultivars with long and oval violet/black fruits are already available, resulting a valid substitute to the traditional landraces (e.g. “Lunga Violetta di Rimini”). Promising results have been so far obtained from segregating material deriving from crosses between the violet-lilac landraces and exotic germplasm, with the purpose to improve this distinctive Italian ecotype with regard to the tolerance to Fusarium and Verticillium wilt, and for other characteristics. The development of cluster mini fruit eggplant types is an attempt to introduce in the Italian varietal scenario a new eggplant typology. The first released F1 hybrid cv Amelina gives fruits with elongate shape, dark violet skin and violet calyx, and it was obtained from the cross between Asian germplasm and the Italian local cv Cannellina Sarnese. More recently, with the purpose to diversify the supply of cluster mini eggplant lines, introgressed progenies derived from the somatic hybrid between eggplant and S. integrifolium have been employed. Interesting cluster mini eggplant lines with violet-lilac skin colour and long, globose, round or pyriform shape are under selection. These lines display resistance to Fusarium and improved tolerance to Verticillium, and, soon, parental lines from them will become available for the establishment of new cluster mini eggplant hybrids.