Genetic Engineering of Eggplant (Solanum melongena L.): Progress, Controversy and Potential

Abstract

Eggplant (Solanum melongena) is the third most important vegetable in Asia and of considerable importance in the Mediterranean belt. Although global eggplant production has been increasing in recent years, productivity is limited due to insects, diseases, and abiotic stresses. Genetic engineering offers new traits to eggplant, such as seedless parthenocarpic fruits, varieties adapted to extreme climatic events (i.e., sub- or supra-optimal temperatures), transcription factor regulation, overexpressing osmolytes, antimicrobial peptides, Bacillusthuringiensis (Bt) endotoxins, etc. Such traits either do not occur naturally in eggplant or are difficult to incorporate by conventional breeding. With controversies, Bt-expressing eggplant varieties resistant to eggplant fruit and shoot borers have already been adopted for commercial cultivation in Bangladesh. However, to maximize the benefits of transgenic technology, future studies should emphasize testing transgenic plants under conditions that mimic field conditions and focus on the plant’s reproductive stage. In addition, the availability of the whole genome sequence, along with an efficient in vitro regeneration system and suitable morphological features, would make the eggplant an alternative model plant in which to study different aspects of plant biology in the near future.