Dramatic advances in genomics during the last years have led to a revolution in the field of vegetable crops breeding. Availability of an almost unlimited number of markers thanks to the development of genomic libraries, and transcriptome and genome sequences has allowed the study of genetic diversity and relationships of germplasm and breeding collections, the development of saturated genetic maps, identification of genes and QTLs of agronomic interest, as well as marker assisted selection (MAS). In parallel, the increased availability of markers has facilitated the development and extensive genotyping of experimental populations, like recombinant inbred lines (RILs), introgression lines (ILs), or multi-parent advanced generation inter-cross (MAGIC) populations that allow the genetic dissection of traits and may represent a material of interest to be introduced in the breeding pipelines. Some vegetables, like tomato, have served as model crops in the application of genomic tools to plant breeding but other important crops, such as eggplant, lagged behind. This crop is the sixth most important vegetable in production in the world and genomic tools may have a tremendous impact in the development of a new generation of cultivars adapted to the present challenge of increasing yield and quality in climate change scenario. In this work we review the recent developments in genomic tools and its application to eggplant breeding, including the present trends, and the future prospects for the improvement of this crop. The paradigm shift brought by genomics to eggplant may serve as a model for the enhancement of other important vegetable crops.

 

 

This abstract was accepted to be presented at the conference entitled “40 Years of Horticulture Education in Cluj-Napoca†Cluj-Napoca, September 27, 2017, being included in ‘Book of Abstracts’ of this special-anniversary event (http://conference.shst.ro). All accepted papers will be published in a special issue of Notulae Botanicae Horti Agrobotanici Cluj-Napoca journal.