Crop wild relatives (CWRs) have barely been used in eggplant (Solanum melongena) breeding. However, introgression breeding may help in coping with the challenges posed by climate change. During the rainy and dry seasons, we evaluated nine accessions of eggplant, nine accessions of seven related species (of which six are CWRs and one is a cultivated relative), and 12 interspecific hybrids. Drought tolerance scores, calculated as ratios of growing rates and ratios of mean values during the rainy and dry seasons, were obtained for vegetative growth and yield‐related traits. Considering the vegetative growth and yield‐related traits evaluated, the F₁ hybrid progenies of eggplant with S. insanum MEL1 × INS2 and MEL4 × INS3, S. anguivi MEL6 × ANG1, and S. dasyphyllum MEL6 × DAS1, plus the S. sysimbriifolium accession SIS1, displayed drought tolerance. Small to large gaps were observed between phenotypic and genotypic CVs of drought tolerance scores, reflecting variable influence of environmental factors on drought tolerance of the traits evaluated. In addition, the narrow‐sense heritability was generally moderate, indicating that genes with dominance and/or epistasis effects may be involved in the expression of drought tolerance. High genotypic correlations for drought tolerance scores between pairs of traits such as branching index and leaf length, leaf petiole diameter and plant height, number of stamens per flower, and fruit pedicel length suggest that drought tolerance of these traits is controlled by genes that are in linkage disequilibrium and/or have pleiotropic effects. The results are relevant for the development of drought‐tolerant cultivars of eggplant.

Dioscorea alata (L.), also referred to as water, winged, or greater yam, is one of the most economically important staple food crops in tropical and subtropical areas. In Côte d’Ivoire, it represents, along with other yam species, the largest food crop and significantly contributes to food security. However, studies focusing on better understanding the structure and extent of genetic diversity among D. alata accessions, using molecular and phenotypic traits, are limited. This study was, therefore, conducted to assess the pattern of genetic variability in a set of 188 D. alata accessions from the National Agronomic Research Centre (CNRA) genebank using 11,722 SNP markers (generated by the Diversity Arrays Technology) and nine agronomic traits. Phylogenetic analyses using hierarchical clustering, admixture, kinship, and Discriminant analysis of principal component (DAPC) all assigned the accessions into four main clusters. Genetic diversity assessment using molecular-based SNP markers showed a high proportion of polymorphic SNPs (87.81%). The analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) showed low molecular variability within genetic groups. In addition, the agronomic traits evaluated for two years in field conditions showed a high heritability and high variability among D. alata accessions. This study provides insights into the genetic diversity among accessions in the CNRA genebank and opens an avenue for sustainable resource management and the identification of promising parental clones for water yam breeding programs in Côte d’Ivoire.

The Solanum aethiopicum Gilo group, described as homogeneous, shows a high diversity, at least at the morphological level. In Côte d’Ivoire, farmers distinguish three subgroups, named “N’Drowa”, “Klogbo” and “Gnangnan”, within this group. Data were obtained from 10 quantitative and 14 qualitative morpho-agronomic traits measured in 326 accessions of Gilo eggplants, at flowering and fruiting stages. Univariate and multivariate analyses allowed clearly clustering the studied accessions into the three subgroups. Fruit taste, leaf blade width, fruit diameter, leaf blade length, fruit weight, fruit color at commercial ripeness, petiole length, germination time, plant breadth, fruit position on the plant, fruit length and flowering time were, in decreasing order, the twelve most discriminating traits. Compared to the “Gnangnan” subgroup, the “N’Drowa” subgroup has smaller plant breadth and larger leaves. The fruits of this subgroup were mainly white at commercial ripeness, larger and sweeter. Most of the traits of the “Klogbo” subgroup were intermediate between those of the “N’Drowa” and “Gnangnan” subgroups. Our results could contribute to a better understanding of S. aethiopicum diversity and to the development of a core collection for African eggplant breeding.

The need for improved aubergine varieties is increasing because of climate change’s effects such as drought. To solve this problem, the use of wild ancestor of aubergine, Solanum insanum, as a source of genes seems appropriate since this species is found in various climates. The objective was to obtain aubergine genotypes with genes from the wild species, S. insanum, giving them the ability to adapt to drought. Drought tolerance of accessions from Solanum melongena and Solanum insanum and their F1 progeny was assessed using 16 phenotypic descriptors. Variance and genetic parameters (heritability (h²), genotypic (GCV) and phenotypic (PCV) coefficients of variation, correlations) relating to growth dynamics were estimated. F₁ hybrids exhibited better drought tolerance abilities than parental accessions. The values of floral characteristics of these hybrids were higher in dry season. This favoured reproduction at expense of vegetative growth. Finally, high differences between GCV and PCV corroborated by low values of h² show that plant selection based on growth dynamics would be ineffective for improving aubergine against drought. Development of plant organs determined by genes with pleiotropic effects is reflected by contrasting values of genotypic and phenotypic correlations.

Assessment of the genetic diversity within existing germplasm is essential for the sustainable management of plant genetic resources, and the development of improved cultivars. Dioscorea alata is considered as one of the most widespread root and tuber crop species in tropical regions, and significantly contributes to enhancing the income of small‐scale producers and improving food security. This study was conducted to profile the genetic variability within a panel of 205 D. alata accessions using 15 key yam tuber traits. Multivariate analysis revealed high variability among the accessions for the evaluated traits. Based on the clustering methods, the accessions were grouped into four main clusters with different genetic performance. Furthermore, silhouette (Si) analysis indicated that tuber quality‐related traits clustered the accessions more distinctly than tuber quantitative traits, with the highest coefficient of 0.58. A subset of traits, including flesh color, flesh oxidation, and tuber shape, emerged as the most relevant variables for cluster differentiation based on tuber quality. Meanwhile, yield, circumference, and length were the key quantitative traits that best defined the clusters. Among the relevant variables identified by PLS‐DA, only tuber circumference and tuber length significantly predicted tuber yield, with regression coefficients of 0.55 and 0.35, respectively. Tuber browning was the trait that reduced cooking quality, and multi‐trait genotype–ideotype distance index (MGIDI) analysis identified genotypes performing better within each cluster defined by tuber quantitative traits for water yam breeding programs. This study provides reliable and valuable insights into the genetic variability within Côte d’Ivoire’s water yam germplasm and consitutes a reliable source for genetic improvement.