Potato is a globally significant crop, crucial for food security and nutrition. Assessing vital nutritional traits is pivotal for enhancing nutritional value. However, traditional wet lab methods for the screening of large germplasms are time- and resource-intensive. To address this challenge, we used near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS) for rapid trait estimation in diverse potato germplasms. It employs molecular absorption principles that use near-infrared sections of the electromagnetic spectrum for the precise and rapid determination of biochemical parameters and is non-destructive, enabling trait monitoring without sample compromise. We focused on modified partial least squares (MPLS)-based NIRS prediction models to assess eight key nutritional traits. Various mathematical treatments were executed by permutation and combinations for model calibration. The external validation prediction accuracy was based on the coefficient of determination (RSQ_external), the ratio of performance to deviation (RPD), and the low standard error of performance (SEP). Higher RSQ_external values of 0.937, 0.892, and 0.759 were obtained for protein, dry matter, and total phenols, respectively. Higher RPD values were found for protein (3.982), followed by dry matter (3.041) and total phenolics (2.000), which indicates the excellent predictability of the models. A paired t-test confirmed that the differences between laboratory and predicted values are non-significant. This study presents the first multi-trait NIRS prediction model for Indian potato germplasm. The developed NIRS model effectively predicted the remaining genotypes in this study, demonstrating its broad applicability. This work highlights the rapid screening potential of NIRS for potato germplasm, a valuable tool for identifying trait variations and refining breeding strategies, to ensure sustainable potato production in the face of climate change.

Eggplant is a nutritionally rich crop that has beneficial effects on human health. Wide diversity exists in eggplant in terms of biochemical content; however, extensive research work has not been undertaken to gain more in-depth knowledge on its antioxidant capacity to improve the quality of the existing popular cultivated varieties and develop/identify nutrient-rich germplasms. Therefore, a total of 57 genotypes were chosen for the study, and they were evaluated for various biochemical compounds. The biochemical traits taken were an average of three replications and these values were used for statistical analysis. The analysis of variance for five fruit quality parameters indicated a high variability among the eggplant genotypes, which signifies that at least one of the genotypes is statistically different from the rest. The total phenolics ranged from 39.63 to 312.65 mg gallic acid equivalent (GAE)/100 g with the highest being observed in Pusa Krishna. The flavonoid content ranged from 7.83 to 65.09 mg/100 g FW. The antioxidant assays, viz., cupric reducing antioxidant activity (CUPRAC) and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), were evaluated which ranged from 51.48 to 200.36 mg GAE/100 g for CUPRAC and 35.36 to 214.01 mg GAE/100 g for FRAP. Principal component analysis (PCA) generated a total of five principal components, and the maximum variance of 90.72% was exhibited by the first three PCs. The agglomerative hierarchical clustering (AHC) revealed similar results to the PCA by identifying three major clusters. Cluster 1 had a maximum number of genotypes grouped together, i.e., 48, followed by cluster 2 with six genotypes, viz., Pusa Krishna (G-32), G-5, Mayurbhanj Local, HABI-2, Solanum gilo, and Solanum sisymbrifolium, and cluster 3 had only three genotypes, namely, Solanum insanum, Solanum khasianum, and Solanum xanthocarpum. Furthermore, the wild species S. insanum, S. khasianum, and S. xanthocarpum can also be utilized as a donor line for carrying out the nutritional breeding program as they are the reservoir of many important biochemical genes.

Pointed gourd (Trichosanthes dioica Roxb.), a nutritionally rich, dioecious cucurbit crop native to India, holds immense potential for enhancing food security, yet its genetic diversity remains underexplored, limiting breeding efforts for improved yield and quality. This study addresses this gap by evaluating the genetic diversity of 46 pointed gourd genotypes using morphological traits and ISSR markers. Principal component analysis (PCA) revealed three principal components explaining 72.53% of the total morphological variation, with fruit weight (0.47), pulp weight (0.46), and fruit volume (0.44) as primary contributors to PC1, and total fruit yield (0.53) and number of fruits per plant (0.49) dominating PC2. The PCA biplot identified five distinct genotype groups, highlighting significant diversity. Molecular analysis with sixteen polymorphic ISSR markers generated 96 bands, of which 76 were polymorphic (78.91%), with Polymorphism Information Content (PIC) ranging from 0.35 to 0.47. Cluster analysis grouped genotypes into seven morphological and two primary molecular clusters, the latter further divided into six sub-clusters. Swarna Rekha, Swarna Suruchi, Swarna Alaukik, HAP 24, HAP 78, and HAP 113 were identified as highly diverse. These findings demonstrate that integrating morphological and molecular markers effectively uncovers genetic variability, providing a robust foundation for breeding programs. Future work will focus on leveraging these diverse genotypes for hybridization to develop high-yielding, nutrient-rich cultivars and exploring additional molecular markers to further refine genetic diversity assessments.

Tomato is an important vegetable crop suited to both open-field and protected cultivation. Indeterminate genotypes with high yield potential and desirable quality traits are especially suited to off-season production under protected cultivation. The present study evaluated 57 indeterminate tomato genotypes over two consecutive years under protected conditions to assess genetic variability, genetic divergence, and trait associations across 16 important yield-attributing and quality traits. The analysis of variance depicted significant differences among genotypes for all traits under study. The traits, viz., fruit weight and number of fruits per cluster, exhibited high heritability and high genetic gain, suggesting the predominance of additive gene action and the possibility of direct selection. A significant, positive correlation between fruit weight and the number of plant clusters and yield was observed. Analysis of genetic divergence following Mahalanobis D² statistics classified the genotypes into seven clusters. The number of flowers per cluster and fruit width were the top contributors to the total genetic divergence. Cluster VI outperformed for earliness and yield, Cluster V outperformed for nutritional quality, while Cluster VII was superior for fruit size. Principal Component Analysis revealed that the first five components cumulatively explained 83.3% of the total variation, with PC1 defined by fruit number trait and PC2 by yield and earliness traits. The Multi-Trait Genotype-Ideotype Distance Index (MGIDI) was used to select the best-performing genotypes, highlighting PIDGT-39, PIDGT-42, and PIDGT-29 as elite. Thus, the findings of the present study provide deeper insights into the genetic makeup of indeterminate tomato genotypes and potential parental accessions for tomato improvement, to enhance yield and quality under protected conditions.

Guava ( Psidium guajava L.) is an important commercial fruit crop valued for its exceptional nutraceutical value and pharmacological properties. Growing awareness about guava’s health benefits is driving demand for higher-quality, nutraceutical-rich cultivars. Varietal development and genetic improvement in guava involve crossing between heterozygous elite parents to generate segregating full-sib populations for future selection. In this study, hybridization between Allahabad Safeda and Arka Kiran, was attempted, and hybrid progenies were raised. A total of 50 hybrid progenies were confirmed as hybrid with three SSRs (FHTGSSR-3.4, FHTGSSR-7.5, and FHTGSSR-3.6). These confirmed hybrid progenies exhibited wide phenotypic variability with both intermediate and transgressive segregation across tree, leaf, fruit physical and biochemical parameters. Fruit parameters varied markedly in size (length: 5.59–10.13 cm; weight: 79.33–406.33 g) while qualitative variation was evident in leaf shape, fruit shape, peel, and pulp colour. Biochemical profiling revealed high variability in respect of TSS (10.30–14.80°Brix), ascorbic acid (65.00–302.00 mg/100 g), total carotenoids (0.78–9.55 mg/100 g), lycopene (0.53–9.03 mg/100 g) and antioxidant activities (DPPH: 86–95%; FRAP: 8.9–22.0 µmol Trolox/g). MGIDI analysis identified seven guava hybrids as superior multi-trait performers amongst the studied guava hybrids. Multivariate analyses helped characterize the underlying trait variability, and hierarchical clustering grouped progenies into distinct clusters. Additionally, transgressive segregation for key nutraceutical traits underscores the potential for selecting superior recombinants. Overall, this study highlights the effectiveness of hybridization between heterozygous guava genotypes in generating genetic variability, while establishing SSR markers are robust and reliable tools for confirming hybridity in crop improvement programs.

One of the major challenges in potato farming across the globe is potato cyst nematodes (PCN). Aeroponic root leachate (ARL),collected from aeroponically grown potato plants, was evaluated for its potential to stimulate Globodera rostochiensis hatching in the absence of a host plant. In vitro assays showed that ARL collected from 30-day-old potato plants induced the highest number of juveniles (J2s) hatching (369 J2s; 48%), far exceeding that induced by root exudate (RE) (105 J2s; 12.6%). Among the tested dilutions, ARL diluted to 50% was most effective (940 J2s; 74.5%), while controls showed no hatching. Pot assays revealed that ARL diluted to 50% and 75% reduced viable eggs by 28.9% and 27.8%, respectively, compared with minimal reductions in controls (tap water; 4.7% and nutrient solution; 6.2%). Field assays (2018–2021) confirmed strong declines in cyst counts across all treatments, with the greatest reduction observed in T₃ (ARL diluted to 50%). Initial viable egg populations (235–287 per cyst) declined markedly by 2021, with T₃ (ARL diluted to 50%) and T₂ (ARL diluted to 75%) showing 46.5% and 44.1% reductions, compared with controls (13.1% in tap water and 11.2% in nutrient solution). In dose-response assays, ARL triggered higher hatching (284 J2s) than α-chaconine (228 J2s at 100 µg/ml) and α-solanine (186 J2s at 1 µg/ml). Further, ARL-assisted potato farming (ARL-APF) showed lower cultivation costs (643.4 USD/ha), energy inputs (34.5 GJ/ha), carbon inputs (1023.2 kg CE/ha), and GHG emissions (3745.9 CO₂-e kg/ha) over the conventional potato farming (CPF).