Biophysical and biochemical characteristics of Green Fruited Brinjal genotypes for resistance to Shoot and Fruit Borer (Leucinodes orbonalis guenee)

An experiment was carried out with thirty green fruited brinjal genotypes at Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore to find the influence of biophysical and biochemical characters of brinjal genotypes on the infestation to shoot and fruit borer. Among the genotypes, ABSR-2 was found least attacked by the borers recording minimum percentage of fruit infestation (14.51 percent) with maximum marketable yield of 2.29 kg per plant. Fruit infestation was positively but not significantly correlated with length of pedicel (r = 0.059) and calyx (r = 0.057) whereas, marketable yield (r= -0.87), polyphenol oxidase (r = -0.68), solasodine (r = -0.43) and phenol (r = -0.49) showed significantly negative correlation with fruit infestation and positive correlation with shoot infestation (r = 0.64) and total sugars (r = 0.74). The genotype ABSR-2 recording maximum yield, less shoot and fruit infestation, lowest pedicel and calyx length, low sugar, high polyphenol oxidase and high phenol could be used as resistant cultivar for further shoot and fruit borer resistance breeding programme.