Biology subjects

Vicente, O.

Publications and source records attributed to Vicente, O..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2026

Impact of Water Deficit on Growth, Biochemical, and Physiological Traits in Eggplant MAGIC Lines

Climate change exacerbates agricultural water scarcity, necessitating the development of drought-tolerant crop varieties. This study evaluates 12 eggplant lines from a MAGIC (Multi-parent Advanced Generation Intercross) population, previously selected for contrasting responses to water deficit during the vegetative stage. To validate tolerance under adult production conditions, plants underwent five irrigation-withholding cycles over a 170-day greenhouse growing period. Yield components, the Stress Tolerance Index (STI), and physiological parameters (water status and stomatal conductance) were evaluated. Additionally, photosynthetic pigments, oxidative stress markers, antioxidant compounds, and osmolytes were quantified to characterize the biochemical basis of tolerance alongside final biomass production. The results showed that four of the five lines that were previously classified as tolerant in the vegetative stage remained among the most tolerant at the reproductive stage. Specifically, lines L13, L78 and L179 were the most productive under water-limited conditions. While L13 and L179 exhibited stable tolerance throughout all developmental stages, L78 displayed stage-specific tolerance, manifested only during the reproductive growth phase. These findings emphasise the importance of integrating early-stage screening with adult-stage validation in order to capture the full spectrum of genetic drought tolerance. The most productive lines were characterised by moderate aboveground biomass, high leaf hydration and maintained stomatal conductance. However, the strategies employed differed: while L179 exhibited high photosynthetic pigment content, L13 was characterised by high total sugar accumulation. Overall, these results provide a multi-trait roadmap and identify elite MAGIC parental lines for breeding climate-resilient eggplant cultivars.

plant biology↗

bioRxiv2025

Water Stress Tolerance, Genomic Selection and Identification of Genomic Regions in a MAGIC Population of Eggplant

Horticultural crops are increasingly affected by water stress due to climate change, making the development of stress-tolerant varieties an urgent need. In this study, we evaluated a set of 184 Multi-parent Advanced Generation Inter-Cross (MAGIC) eggplant lines under water stress conditions, consisting of irrigation at 30% of field capacity. After 21 days of stress, we assessed traits related to growth, water content, plant pigments, and proline content. The MAGIC population displayed a high variability for water stress tolerance, as transgressive lines over parental values were found for most of the traits. Key traits associated with water stress tolerance were identified, including increased root growth and elevated proline, and flavonoid content. Genome-Wide Association Study (GWAS) analysis allowed identification of three genomic regions associated with total dry weight, water content and flavonoids, traits that contribute significantly to stress tolerance. Additionally, a linear genomic selection index was constructed based on total dry weight, dry weight increase during the stress period, root dry weight, water content, and proline content to identify water stress-tolerant and susceptible lines. The models predictive ability was calculated, and the value of the selection index was predicted for 141 unevaluated MAGIC lines, with prediction accuracy for the index traits ranging from 0.11 to 0.53. This study presents a comprehensive analysis, identifying critical traits, genomic regions and lines with genetic potential, providing valuable information for future breeding programmes to improve water stress tolerance in eggplant.

genetics↗

bioRxiv2023

Evaluation of a set of eggplant (Solanum melongena) lines with introgressions of S. incanum under water stress conditions

As access to irrigation water becomes increasingly limited, introgression of relevant genomic regions from drought-tolerant wild genotypes is a promising breeding strategy for crop plants. In this study, nine eggplant (Solanum melongena) introgression lines (ILs) covering altogether 71.6% of the genome of the donor wild relative parent S. incanum were evaluated for drought tolerance under water stress conditions. Plants at the five true leaves stage were irrigated at either 100% (control) or 30% (water stress) field capacity for 14 days, and growth and biochemical traits were measured. Reduced irrigation resulted in decreased growth and increased levels of stress markers such as proline and malondialdehyde. Most ILs had lower growth and biomass production than the cultivated parent under both conditions. However, the wild alleles for two QTLs related to stem and root dry weight (dwt8 and dwr6%) conferred improved tolerance to water stress. In addition, several S. incanum alleles had a positive effect on important traits that may improve yield under drought conditions, such as leaf water content (lwc12%), water use efficiency (wue1%) and chlorophyll content (chl2 and chl8%). Fine-mapping of the QTLs for tolerance and reducing linkage drag with regions affecting growth will be crucial for significantly improving eggplant drought tolerance through introgression breeding.

genetics↗