RESUMO A berinjela é uma cultura hortícola muito valorizada, cultivada em todo o globo e de grande importância econômica na Ásia. No entanto, sua produção está ameaçada por várias doenças foliares ou transmitidas pelo solo, pragas, seca, calor e danos causados por geada. Portanto, esforços são importantes para transferir genes de resistência para a berinjela, provenientes de seus parentes selvagens. No presente estudo, foi realizada hibridização interespecífica e intraespecífica, que incluiu três genótipos cultivados de berinjela (Solanum melongena MEE, Solanum melongena MEP, Solanum melongena MEB) e uma espécie selvagem de Solanum (Solanum incanum INC). Os híbridos F1 foram produzidos por hibridização inter e intraespecífica. Um total de 632 cruzamentos recíprocos inter e intraespecíficos possíveis foram realizados, onde apenas três tiveram sucesso. Os dias mínimos para o florescimento foram observados na MEP parental, e a altura máxima da planta foi medida em MEE×MEB. O comprimento máximo do fruto foi observado na MEB parental. Além disso, o diâmetro do fruto, a largura da folha, o comprimento da folha e a produção de frutos por planta foram encontrados máximos no híbrido MEExINC. Nossos resultados sugerem que esses materiais serão de grande interesse para o melhoramento genético da berinjela; eles podem ter enorme potencial para aumentar a tolerância aos estresses abióticos, como seca e calor, bem como aumentar os valores nutricionais. Os resultados encontrados neste estudo serão úteis para a saúde humana, em última análise, contribuindo para o desenvolvimento de uma nova geração de plantas adaptadas ao clima.

ABSTRACT The eggplant is a highly valuable horticultural crop grown all over the world and it is of substantial economic importance in Asia. However, its production is severely threatened by several soil-borne and foliar diseases, insect-pests, drought, heat, and frost damage. Therefore, efforts to transfer useful resistance genes into eggplant from their wild relatives is important. In the present study, interspecific and intraspecific hybridization was carried out, that included three cultivated genotypes of eggplant (Solanum melongena MEE, Solanum melongena MEP, Solanum melongena MEB) and one wild Solanum species (Solanum incanum INC). The F1 hybrids were made by inter and intraspecific hybridization. A total of 632 possible inter and intraspecific reciprocal crosses was performed where only three were successful. The minimum days to flowering were observed in parent MEP, and maximum plant height was measured in MEE×MEB. Maximum fruit length was observed in parent MEB. Furthermore, fruit diameter, leaf width, leaf length, and fruit yield per plant were found maximum in hybrid MEExINC. Our results suggest that these materials will be of great interest for the genetic improvement of eggplant; they may have a tremendous potential to increase tolerance to abiotic stresses, such as to drought and heat, as well as increased nutrient and herbal values. Findings of this study will be helpful for the human health, ultimately contributing to the development of a new generation of plants adapted to climate.

ABSTRACT Salinity is a serious problem that limits crop growth and yield. The present study used plotting to evaluate 25 tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) accessions for various morpho-physiological parameters at the seedling stage and identify significantly salt-tolerant tomato lines at three different salinity levels. The pot experiment had a completely randomized design with three replicates in a factorial arrangement under greenhouse conditions. Tomato plants were exposed to 0 (control), 8, and 12 dS m-1 as NaCl stress at the seedling stage. The morpho-physiological traits, such as root and shoot length, root/shoot ratio, number of leaves, fresh and dry shoot weight, fresh and dry root weight, leaf area, Na+ and K+ concentrations, K+/Na+ ratio, and tolerance index, were recorded to examine salt tolerance. According to principal component analysis (PCA), there were six principal components (PCs) with Eigen values > 1 and 77.2% of total cumulative variability. The PC1 (24.3%) revealed the highest variability followed by PC2 (16.2%). Meanwhile, the PCA biplot and cluster heat map analyses indicated that Subarctic, Raad-Red, Naqeeb, Pakit, Tommy-Toe, and BL-1076 were salt-tolerant, whereas PBLA-1401, PB-017902, CLN-2413, BL-1078, BL-1174, and BL-1079 were the most susceptible accessions based on their performance under stress.

Polyamines are low molecular weight organic compounds involved in diverse range of biological processes in all living organisms. Seed priming is a technique that improves seed performance by rapid and uniform germination with normal and vigorous seedlings. A laboratory study was performed to explore the benefits of seed priming with polyamines on seed germination and seedling growth of hot pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) Hot pepper seeds were primed in aerated solution of putrescine, spermine, or spermidine (25, 50, 75, and 100 mM) for 48 h at 25 ± 2 °C. Significant results (P < 0.05) were observed for different attributes of seed germination and early seedling growth. Polyamines priming resulted in earlier and synchronized germination via improving final germination percentage, time to 50% germination, mean germination time, germination energy, germination speed and germination index compared with control. Improvement in shoot and root length, seedling fresh and dry weight, seedling growth rate and seedling vigor index was clearly indicative of positive effects of seed priming with polyamines. Out of all polyamines, putrescine proved to be better at low concentrations (i.e. 25 and 50 mM) for most of the traits related to seed emergence and seedling growth.

Las poliaminas son compuestos orgánicos de bajo peso molecular implicados en numerosos procesos biológicos en todos los organismos vivos. El acondicionamiento de semillas es una técnica que mejora el comportamiento de las semillas respecto a una germinación más rápida y uniforme, con plántulas normales y vigorosas. Se realizó un estudio de laboratorio para explorar los beneficios del acondicionamiento de semillas con poliaminas sobre la germinación y el crecimiento de plántulas de ají (Capsicum annuum L.) Las semillas de ají fueron colocadas en solución acuosa aireada de putrescina, espermina o espermidina (25, 50, 75 y 100 mM), durante 48 h a 25 ± 2 °C. Se observaron resultados significativos (P < 0,05) para los diferentes atributos de germinación de semillas y crecimiento de plántulas. El acondicionamiento con poliaminas adelantó la germinación y sincronizó el porcentaje final de germinación, tiempo hasta 50% de germinación, tiempo medio de germinación, energía de germinación, velocidad de germinación, e índice de germinación en comparación con el control. El mejoramiento de longitud de tallo y raíz, peso fresco y seco de plántulas, tasa de crecimiento de plántulas y el índice de vigor de las plántulas fue claramente indicativo de los efectos positivos de la imprimación de semillas con poliamina. De todas las poliaminas, putrescina demostró ser mejor a bajas concentraciones (es decir 25 y 50 mM) para la mayoría de los rasgos relacionados con emergencia de semillas y crecimiento de plántulas.