Efficient Tissue Culture Protocol for Wild Eggplants

Japanese researchers Yuzuri Iwamoto and Hiroshi Ezura have reported a more efficient protocol for protoplast regeneration using leaves, cotyledons, and hypocotyls of four wild eggplant species. They also presented the first successful regeneration of the wild species Solanum scabrum from protoplasts. The researchers believe that the protocol may help in performing somatic hybridization in eggplants, a technique that will allow the transfer of desirable characters of wild species to the cultivated varieties.

Wild eggplants are highly resistant to soil-borne wilt diseases such as Fusarium wilt and Verticillum wilt. Because of this, they have been identified as possible sources of disease resistance genes that may be used to improve the cultivated eggplant, S. melongena. Wild species are currently often used as rootstocks, where cultivated varieties are grafted to prevent them from getting soil borne diseases during eggplant propagation. Iwamoto and Ezura wrote that their improved protocol may aid in the development of disease-resistant eggplant varieties and avoid the need for grafting during propagation.

The article is available at http://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/plantbiotechnology/23/5/525/_pdf.