Assessment of genetic variability, heritability and genetic advance in brinjal (Solanum melongena L.)

Abstract

Brinjal (Solanum melongena L.), a crop of the Solanaceae family, is a popular and principal vegetable grown all over India. It is an important vegetable crop in poor’s man diet because of its good content of vitamin c, vitamins a, calcium, phosphorus, potassium and fatty acids and has about 97% of water content. In addition to its nutritional value, the health beneficial properties of brinjal made it a popular protective food in the charts of nutritionists for cardiovascular diseases and obesity. It is beneficial for regulation of blood sugar level due to its rich source of fibre and low soluble carbohydrates. The high content of vitamin C acts as anti-viral and antibacterial agent and the phyto-nutrients in this crop helps in preserving the memory function of the brain. A number of varieties/hybrids which differ based on yield, fruit quality (taste, seed to pulp ratio, shelf life, moisture content, blossom-end scar size, etc.) and consumers’ preference (colour, shape, size and shining of fruit, spininess, calyx colour, etc.) are under cultivation throughout the country (Prasad et al. 2010).