Improvement of eggplants for resistance to Verticillium

Verticillium wilt of eggplant, caused by Verticillium dahliae Kleb, is one of the most serious diseases in tropical and temperate areas and it is an important limiting factor in the production of the crop. Resistance/tolerance to the wilt varies among eggplant cultivars. Some cultivars have been used as sources of resistance in breeding programs but none has sufficiently high resistance under field conditions. Some wild relatives of eggplant have been considered as possible source of resistance. In this study Solanum sodomeum L. (2n=24) was used as source of resistance. Interspecific hybrids were successfully obtained only when S. sodomeum was used as female parent. The interspecific hybrids were both selfed and backcrossed using different eggplant genotypes in order to obtain lines with an improved tolerance to V. dahliae. After 3-4 cycles of backcrosses and selfing, improved features of fruits and plants were obtained. The selection for resistance to Verticillium wilt, mainly based on the response to naturally infested soil with, is in progress and allowed the improvement of the tolerance to the disease.