Comprehensive Evaluation and Screening for Salt Tolerance Germplasms at Seedling Stage in Eggplant

Salt stress presents a major environmental constraint to global agricultural productivity and crop yield stability. Eggplant (<i>Solanum melongena</i> L.) is one of the most extensively cultivated Solanaceae crops worldwide, and the characterization of its germplasm for salt tolerance is...

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Main Authors: Yu Fang, Zhiguo Wang, Yingnan Du, Shuaitao Di, Zhenwei Gao, Xueping Chen, Weiwei Zhang, Lijun Song, Shuangxia Luo, Qiang Li
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-06-01
Series:Horticulturae
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2311-7524/11/6/697
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author Yu Fang
Zhiguo Wang
Yingnan Du
Shuaitao Di
Zhenwei Gao
Xueping Chen
Weiwei Zhang
Lijun Song
Shuangxia Luo
Qiang Li
author_facet Yu Fang
Zhiguo Wang
Yingnan Du
Shuaitao Di
Zhenwei Gao
Xueping Chen
Weiwei Zhang
Lijun Song
Shuangxia Luo
Qiang Li
author_sort Yu Fang
collection DOAJ
description Salt stress presents a major environmental constraint to global agricultural productivity and crop yield stability. Eggplant (<i>Solanum melongena</i> L.) is one of the most extensively cultivated Solanaceae crops worldwide, and the characterization of its germplasm for salt tolerance is essential to develop breeding programs to target its abiotic stress resilience. In this study, 200 mmol/L NaCl was identified as the initial screening concentration for the discrimination of salt tolerance levels in eggplant seedlings. Salt tolerance indices derived from 13 descriptors, including the plant height, stem diameter, and leaf number, were used to evaluate 165 germplasm resources (108 inbred lines and 57 commercial cultivars). These 165 germplasms were grouped into five groups, and six highly tolerant and eight highly sensitive germplasms were identified. Importantly, a stepwise multiple linear regression model incorporating the root surface area, leaf number, leaf water content, malondialdehyde content, and stem water content achieved 90.02% predictive accuracy, establishing a high-throughput screening protocol for germplasm selection. This systematic approach provides methodological advancements for precision breeding and identifies key physiological and morphological markers for salt tolerance improvement in eggplant.
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institution Kabale University
issn 2311-7524
language English
publishDate 2025-06-01
publisher MDPI AG
record_format Article
series Horticulturae
spelling doaj-art-d09c6ee1c96240889f0212c2e33749d82025-08-20T03:24:40ZengMDPI AGHorticulturae2311-75242025-06-0111669710.3390/horticulturae11060697Comprehensive Evaluation and Screening for Salt Tolerance Germplasms at Seedling Stage in EggplantYu Fang0Zhiguo Wang1Yingnan Du2Shuaitao Di3Zhenwei Gao4Xueping Chen5Weiwei Zhang6Lijun Song7Shuangxia Luo8Qiang Li9Key Laboratory of Vegetable Germplasm Innovation and Utilization of Hebei, Collaborative Innovation Center of Vegetable Industry in Hebei, College of Horticulture, Hebei Agricultural University, Baoding 071000, ChinaKey Laboratory of Vegetable Germplasm Innovation and Utilization of Hebei, Collaborative Innovation Center of Vegetable Industry in Hebei, College of Horticulture, Hebei Agricultural University, Baoding 071000, ChinaKey Laboratory of Vegetable Germplasm Innovation and Utilization of Hebei, Collaborative Innovation Center of Vegetable Industry in Hebei, College of Horticulture, Hebei Agricultural University, Baoding 071000, ChinaKey Laboratory of Vegetable Germplasm Innovation and Utilization of Hebei, Collaborative Innovation Center of Vegetable Industry in Hebei, College of Horticulture, Hebei Agricultural University, Baoding 071000, ChinaKey Laboratory of Vegetable Germplasm Innovation and Utilization of Hebei, Collaborative Innovation Center of Vegetable Industry in Hebei, College of Horticulture, Hebei Agricultural University, Baoding 071000, ChinaKey Laboratory of Vegetable Germplasm Innovation and Utilization of Hebei, Collaborative Innovation Center of Vegetable Industry in Hebei, College of Horticulture, Hebei Agricultural University, Baoding 071000, ChinaKey Laboratory of Vegetable Germplasm Innovation and Utilization of Hebei, Collaborative Innovation Center of Vegetable Industry in Hebei, College of Horticulture, Hebei Agricultural University, Baoding 071000, ChinaKey Laboratory of Vegetable Germplasm Innovation and Utilization of Hebei, Collaborative Innovation Center of Vegetable Industry in Hebei, College of Horticulture, Hebei Agricultural University, Baoding 071000, ChinaKey Laboratory of Vegetable Germplasm Innovation and Utilization of Hebei, Collaborative Innovation Center of Vegetable Industry in Hebei, College of Horticulture, Hebei Agricultural University, Baoding 071000, ChinaKey Laboratory of Vegetable Germplasm Innovation and Utilization of Hebei, Collaborative Innovation Center of Vegetable Industry in Hebei, College of Horticulture, Hebei Agricultural University, Baoding 071000, ChinaSalt stress presents a major environmental constraint to global agricultural productivity and crop yield stability. Eggplant (<i>Solanum melongena</i> L.) is one of the most extensively cultivated Solanaceae crops worldwide, and the characterization of its germplasm for salt tolerance is essential to develop breeding programs to target its abiotic stress resilience. In this study, 200 mmol/L NaCl was identified as the initial screening concentration for the discrimination of salt tolerance levels in eggplant seedlings. Salt tolerance indices derived from 13 descriptors, including the plant height, stem diameter, and leaf number, were used to evaluate 165 germplasm resources (108 inbred lines and 57 commercial cultivars). These 165 germplasms were grouped into five groups, and six highly tolerant and eight highly sensitive germplasms were identified. Importantly, a stepwise multiple linear regression model incorporating the root surface area, leaf number, leaf water content, malondialdehyde content, and stem water content achieved 90.02% predictive accuracy, establishing a high-throughput screening protocol for germplasm selection. This systematic approach provides methodological advancements for precision breeding and identifies key physiological and morphological markers for salt tolerance improvement in eggplant.https://www.mdpi.com/2311-7524/11/6/697eggplantsalt tolerancecomprehensive evaluationlinear regression model
spellingShingle Yu Fang
Zhiguo Wang
Yingnan Du
Shuaitao Di
Zhenwei Gao
Xueping Chen
Weiwei Zhang
Lijun Song
Shuangxia Luo
Qiang Li
Comprehensive Evaluation and Screening for Salt Tolerance Germplasms at Seedling Stage in Eggplant
Horticulturae
eggplant
salt tolerance
comprehensive evaluation
linear regression model
title Comprehensive Evaluation and Screening for Salt Tolerance Germplasms at Seedling Stage in Eggplant
title_full Comprehensive Evaluation and Screening for Salt Tolerance Germplasms at Seedling Stage in Eggplant
title_fullStr Comprehensive Evaluation and Screening for Salt Tolerance Germplasms at Seedling Stage in Eggplant
title_full_unstemmed Comprehensive Evaluation and Screening for Salt Tolerance Germplasms at Seedling Stage in Eggplant
title_short Comprehensive Evaluation and Screening for Salt Tolerance Germplasms at Seedling Stage in Eggplant
title_sort comprehensive evaluation and screening for salt tolerance germplasms at seedling stage in eggplant
topic eggplant
salt tolerance
comprehensive evaluation
linear regression model
url https://www.mdpi.com/2311-7524/11/6/697
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