HORTSCIENCE 44(7):2017–2019. 2009. acrescent calyx. After the pickling process, which involves fruit (including the berry, calyx, and part of the fruit pedicel) boiling, ‘H15’, an Almagro-type Pickling natural fermentation for several days, and canning in a brine solution (Ballesteros et al., Eggplant with High Yield and 1999; Sesen˜a and Palop, 2007), Almagro eggplant fruits have a green or golden color Reduced Prickliness and a firm texture of the flesh, the latter being one of the most remarkable characteristic Jaime Prohens1, Julio E. Mun˜oz-Falco´n, features of this variety (Sesen˜a et al., 2001) and Adria´n Rodrı´guez-Burruezo and which differentiates it from other pick- Instituto de Conservacio´n y Mejora de la Agrodiversidad Valenciana, ling varieties of Spain, like those of the ´ neighboring region of Andalusia (Andalusian Universidad Politecnica de Valencia, Camino de Vera 14, 46022 Valencia, pickling eggplant), which have a softer in- Spain ternal texture after the pickling process. One of the most important deficiencies of Francisco Ribas the Almagro eggplant landrace is the prickli- Centro Agrario ‘‘El Chaparrillo,’’ Carretera de Porzuna s/n, 13071 Ciudad ness of the fruit calyx, which hampers the Real, Spain harvesting of the fruits, damages the fruits ´ during the postharvest processing as a result of Angel Castro the pricks to the berries, and also makes the Asociacio´n para la Promocio´n de la IGP ‘‘Berenjena de Almagro,’’ manual removal of the calyx prickles neces- C/Toledillo 59, 13260 Bolan˜os de Calatrava, Spain sary before the pickling process. Prickliness of the calyx not only involves a greater demand Fernando Nuez of labor for removing the prickles, but, occa- Instituto de Conservacio´n y Mejora de la Agrodiversidad Valenciana, sionally, some fruits for which the prickles Universidad Polite´cnica de Valencia, Camino de Vera 14, 46022 Valencia, have not been completely removed may go through the industrial process, which affects Spain negatively the appearance of the final produce. Additional index words. Solanum melongena, Protected Geographical Indication, local Finally, prickliness increases the risk of injury landraces, participatory breeding, processing quality by pricks of the workers during the harvesting and removal of prickles. Because of this, Andalusian pickling eggplants, which have Pickling eggplants (Solanum melongena Consequently, the plant materials used for a lower prickliness, although they give a lower L.) are locally important in some areas of the elaborating pickling eggplants usually con- quality of the pickles, have been introduced by Mediterranean region, Middle East, China, sist of local landraces, which have been some farmers in the Almagro region. Korea, Japan, India, and southeastern Asia selected and conserved by the farmers Farmers growing the Almagro eggplant (Inden et al., 1999; Mun˜oz-Falco´n et al., (Mun˜oz-Falco´n et al., 2009). usually produce their own seeds, which 2009). However, the breeding efforts devoted In Spain, pickling eggplants are produced makes the Almagro eggplant a diverse land- to the improvement of pickling eggplants in several areas in the center and south of the race amenable to selection (Mun˜oz-Falco´n have been limited, and these types of crops country. The most important area for the pro- et al., 2009). The goal of this research was to have been largely overlooked by the public duction of this type of eggplants is the region of take advantage of this diversity to develop and private breeding programs. This is the Campo de Calatrava, situated in the prov- a selection of Almagro eggplant that, com- mainly the consequence of the smaller acre- ince of Ciudad Real, in the center of Spain. pared with the Almagro eggplant landrace, age devoted to the production of pickling This region is home of the so-called Almagro maintains the typical plant and fruit charac- eggplants when compared with that of egg- (in reference to the city of Almagro, capital of teristics, has reduced prickliness, higher plants for the fresh vegetable markets or for the region of Campo de Calatrava) pickling yield, and maintains the high-quality stan- the industrial preparation of frozen foods or eggplant, which is the only eggplant produce dards of the original landrace. The result of dehydrated products. Also, the value of the officially recognized in Europe with a Protected this selection program has been line ‘H15’. harvest per individual plant is much lower Geographical Indication (PGI) status, which than that of other varietal types of eggplants, was granted in 1994 (Castro, 2005). The Origin like the hybrids for greenhouse production. acreage devoted to Almagro eggplant produc- tion is 60 ha and the total annual production The participatory selection program that oscillates between 1500 and 2000 tons. The led to the development of ‘H15’ began in final value of the Almagro eggplant produce in 2004. A team formed by breeders, farmers, Received for publication 26 June 2009. Accepted the market is $6 U.S. per 106. local industrialists, and staff from the Almagro for publication 6 Oct. 2009. The Almagro pickling eggplant is grown eggplant PGI Council visually screened for This contribution was financed by the ‘‘Consejerı´a de Agricultura de la Junta de Comunidades de in the open field during the summer growing prickliness and fruit characteristics thousands Castilla La Mancha’’ and by the ‘‘Ministerio de season in fields that normally have been in of individual plants growing in the fields of Ciencia e Innovacio´n’’ grants AGL2006-04878/ fallow during the winter season after a pre- different farmers in the Campo de Calatrava AGR, AGL2009-07257, and RF2008-00008-00-00. vious winter or spring cereals crop. Because region. Twenty-seven selected individual We acknowledge the participation of the following of the ample availability of land, farmers plants displaying low prickliness were farmers and Almagro eggplant PGI staff in the typically do not repeat the eggplant crop in pruned, uprooted, and carried to Valencia, participatory breeding program and in the field trials: the same land for 10 or 15 years, and most of where each of them was transplanted into Heriberto Alan˜o´n, Vicente Alan˜o´n, Jose´Antonio the Almagro eggplant fields are isolated from a 25-L pot and grown in a greenhouse. Self- Albertos, Cipriano Barba, Juan Antonio Calzado, other eggplant or vegetable crops fields, pollinated offspring of the selected plants Jose´ Marı´a Castro, Francisco Hita, Vicente Malago´n, Antonio Pardo, and Luis Villanueva. We are also which results in a very low incidence of pests were grown during the following season in grateful to Pablo Peco for his help in the data and diseases. Almagro eggplant fruits are farmers’ fields in the Campo de Calatrava acquisition and in the evaluation of the materials. harvested when very young, aged only 2 region. Most offsprings were homogeneous, 1To whom reprint requests should be addressed; weeks after pollination, and are characterized and the few heterogeneous offsprings were e-mail [email protected]. by having fruits covered by a large and edible discarded. In this respect, although the HORTSCIENCE VOL. 44(7) DECEMBER 2009 2017 eggplant is mostly autogamous, a variable hermaphroditic, and infrutescences with mul- significantly from those of the Almagro and rate of cross-pollination occurs, especially tiple fruits are common (Fig. 1). Andalusian landraces. As is general with the under open-field conditions (Daunay, 2008; The berry of ‘H15’ is oblong with a length/ Almagro eggplant landrace, ‘H15’ presents Pessarakli and Dris, 2004). A participatory width ratio of 1:5 (Table 1), and although it a high content in antioxidant phenolic com- selection among homogeneous offspring can grow to more than 25 cm long when left pounds (0.7 to 0.9 gÁkg–1 of fresh weight), and originating from different individual plants on the plant until reaching its full size, to be because of this, it represents a source of was performed for low prickliness, high used for pickling, it should be harvested when variation for breeding programs aimed at yield, and plant and fruit characteristics it has a length of 4 to 9 cm and a fruit weight increasing the phenolic acid content of egg- typical of the Almagro landrace. This led to of 40 to 60 g (Fig. 2). At this stage, the pedicel plant (Prohens et al., 2007; Stommel and the selection of several promising lines that length varies between 9.5 and 12 cm long and Whitaker, 2003). were subsequently characterized, tested for it is slender and smooth in the proximal part Molecular characterization with 36 simple agronomic performance in more extensive (Table 1; Fig. 3). This trait clearly distin- sequence repeats has shown that ‘H15’ clus- plots in farmers’ fields, and evaluated for guishes the ‘H15’ eggplant from other mor- ters with other Almagro eggplant materials pickling quality. Seed increase of the lines phologically similar pickling eggplants native and also that it is genetically differentiated was always performed by self-pollination to other regions of Spain, like those of from the Andalusian pickling eggplant land- under greenhouse conditions in Valencia. Andalusia, which display a wider and rougher race. ‘H15’ is homozygous for the allele 206 ‘H15’ is the final selection of this process proximal part of the fruit pedicel. At the stage for the EM127 marker and the allele 360 for and originates from the selfing of an individ- of harvesting, the acrescent calyx covers all or the EM145 marker. These alleles are specific ual plant selected in 2005 in one of the most of the berry (Table 1), a trait required for to the Almagro eggplant landrace and are used Almagro eggplant farmers’ fields. the elaboration of Almagro pickling eggplant. as diagnostic markers to distinguish Almagro The calyx is purple and green in color and eggplants from other Spanish pickling egg- Description presents reduced prickliness when compared plants (Mun˜oz-Falco´n et al., 2009).