Studies on Genetic Variability and Associations of Fruit and Shoot Borer Infestation for Yield Attributing Traits in Transgressive Segregating Populations of Brinjal (Solanum melongena L.)

In the F2 generation of eggplants, resulting from the crosses between Bilichandubadane and Mullubadane in the F1 generation, a considerable level of variability was observed. These eggplant varieties, cultivated in an augmented design at ZARS Shimogga during the Kharif season of 2017, display numerous significant plant breeding characteristics and hold great potential for further improvement under varying growing conditions. The F2 investigation unveiled substantial diversity in nine quantitative traits. The strong correlation between the Genetic Coefficient of Variation (GCV) and Phenotypic Coefficient of Variation (PCV) values suggests that environmental factors have a relatively minor influence on the expression of these studied traits. Importantly, characteristics such as the number of fruits per plant, the number of primary branches, and the number of flowers per plant exhibited a substantial genetic contribution, as indicated by their high GCV and PCV values, in addition to significant broad sense heritability and genetic advancement. This implies that these traits are mainly governed by additive genes and can be effectively enhanced through selection without necessitating progeny testing. Furthermore, the high heritability values observed for most traits indicate considerable potential for improving yield and its components through selective breeding. Differences in mean values among the parent plants in various characteristics suggest the involvement of diverse parent plants in the crosses studied. Additionally, the F2 plants displayed superior performance in most traits compared to either of the parent plants, which can be attributed to the phenomenon of transgressive segregation.