Producing Superior Hybrids of Eggplant, under North Sinai Condition

Eggplant (Solanummelongena var. esculenta) is a favorite vegetable used as pickled , fried, or cooked food. It is called brinjal in India, aubergine in Europe and "melanzane," in Italy which means "crazy apple". Under North Sinai Condition, planting systems are suffering from poor soil fertility and low irrigated water quality. Hence, imported hybrid Eggplant seeds were usually used under such conditions. These seeds do not provide the expected production under the new planting condition as well as its high price. Therefore, it is vital to produce hybrids that replace the imported ones with high yielding ability under North Sinai condition. In the current study, Improving total yield and fruit characters are considered the major aims in eggplant breeding programs. The objectives of this study were: (i) to produce superior eggplant hybrids suitable for North Sinai region and similar places, which may replace the imported ones and (ii) to estimate the genetic parameters.... Mehr