Department of Botany, Madras University Post-Graduate Centre, Tiruchirapalli 620020, India
*Present address: Department of Forestry, Tank Road, Solan (H.P.)
Investigations were made on genetic relationship between Solanum melongena L. and Solanum integrifolium Poir., and the karyomorphology of the amphidiploids produced from their hybrid:. The F, hybrids (n=12) between the four cultivated varieties of S. melongena, namely, Giant of Banaras, Hungary: 290469, Nurki Baigan and Pusa Purple Long, and S. integrifolium were highly sterile even though characterised by mostly normal pairing of chromosomes. From the sterile hybrids, amphidiploids (n=24) were produced with mostly normal pairing of chromosomes and high percentage of pollen fertility and fruit-set and fair seed set. These observations indicate that cryptic structural hybridity could have played an important role in hybrid sterility and genetic distinctiveness of S. melongena and S. integrifolium. The amphidiploids are breeding true and highly resistant, under field conditions, to leaky fruit rot and brinjal shoot and fruit borer.
