The effects of genetic parthenocarpy on pepino (Solanum muricatum) yield and fruit quality

Summary

Yield of pepino (Solanum muricatum) is often low due to deficient pollination and fertilization. Genetic parthenocarpy in pepino is conferred by the dominant gene P and circumvents the need for successful pollination and fertilization. Two families obtained by crossing parthenocarpic (parth.) PP parents (P₁) and non-parthenocarpic (non-parth.) pp parents (P₂) were used to study the effects of parthenocarpy on yield and fruit quality. Comparison of parth. and non-parth. plants from generations BC₂ and F₂, which segregate for parthenocarpy, showed that gene P induced an increase in yield between 46% and 62% but did not affect the quality characters studied. The effects of seeded/seedless fruit set on fruit quality was studied on parth. plants of both families. Seedless fruit weighed between 15% and 30% less than seeded fruit; no differences were found for the other fruit characters. The behaviour of one parth. and two non-parth. clones was studied under different training systems. The parth. clone was always the most productive and showed a lower variation between training systems than non-parth. clones. Genetic parthenocarpy allows a yield improvement without undesirable effects on fruit quality.