Selection of candidate varieties of garden egg (Solanum aethiopicum) in an on-station trial using multi-disciplinary approach

The on-station trial was conducted at the National Horticultural Research Institute, Ibadan during the rainy season of the year 2021. Seven improved varieties selected from crosses generated through half-diallel mating design and two local checks were used in this study. The study aimed to select the best candidate varieties for multi-locational trials. The trial was laid out in a Randomized Complete Block Design with three replications. Data were collected on agronomic and yield characters. The nine varieties of garden egg were screened for tolerance to Anthracnose and Tuta absoluta. Fatty acid Methyl Esters were also analyzed and sensory evaluation was done using a twelve-member trained panel of judges. The results showed that there were significant variations among all the agronomic and yield-related characters except for plant height, stem girth and days to flowering. L03 was the best in yield and related characters, followed by L06 and L01. All the seven improved garden egg varieties were tolerant to Athracnose while the highest disease incidence was recorded in YALO. The mining activities of Tuta absoluta were more pronounced in L03 while the least was observed in L07. The improved variety L03 had the highest Saturated Fatty Acids (SFAs) and very low Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids (PUFAs). YALO had the best low SFAs and appreciable levels of PUFAs. This was followed by L06 and L08 with moderate SFAs and high PUFAs. L02 was the best in overall acceptability during sensory evaluation but had very high SFAs. L06 was second best in overall acceptability while L01 was third. However, L03 was the least accepted. Based on the overall assessment, L06, L08 and L01 were selected for multi-locational trials and future release.