Improvement of Sweet Pepino (Solanum Muricatum Aiton) Crop by Agri-biotechnological Methods in Cotopaxi, Ecuador

This project addresses the interspecific gene flow from S. caripense to S. muricatum, for the development of improved fruits and certified seeds. The concentration of plant growth regulators (a1c1: 1.0 mg·L-1 AIA and 1.0 mg·L-1 BAP; a.5c2: 0.5 mg·L-1 AIA and 2.0 mg·L-1 BAP) was evaluated physiologically in vitro (w: with plastic seal; wo: without plastic seal) in NG (triple hybrid) and GP (double hybrid), and the new genotypes were morphologically differentiated. Varieties of tzimbalo FG, GH, and GPGn were used. The treatments were analyzed using quantitative characters, and genotypes were differentiated by analysis of variance. The number of leaves was different (mean ± S. E.), NGa1c1w = 11.38 ± 0.33 (B), GPa1c1w = 8.92 ± 0.59 (A), NGa1c1wo = 7.95 ± 0.44 (A), and GPa0c0w = 7.50 ± 1.44 (A); stem height was different, NGa1c1w = 4.77 cm ± 0.12 (B), GPa1c1w = 4.11 cm ± 0.21 (AB), GP0c0w = 3.90 cm ± 0.52 (AB), and NGa1c1wo = 3.38 cm ± 0.16 (A). In experiment two, the number of leaves was different due to the effect of plastic seal. In the meta-analysis, the number of leaves was different, TM1 = 16.13 ± 1.35 (D), GPa1c1w = 8.92 ± 1.10 (ABC), GPa0c0wo = 7.50 ± 2.71 (AB), and GPa.5c2wo = 7.47 ± 0.64 (A); and for climatization stage plantlet height was different, TE3 = 34.17 cm ± 1.49 (C), GPa1c1w = 12.12 cm ± 1.72 (A), and GPa.5c2wo = 9.37 cm ± 0.99 (A). The impact of this approach is the obtention of fruits with higher commercial weight, FG = 6.04 g/fruit, Sm800 = 27.48 g/fruit, and NG = 22.03 g/fruit; accumulation of anthocyanins genes; and soluble solids content, FG = 10.67 ± 0.27 °Brix (C), Sm800 = 8.00 ± 0.27 °Brix (A), and NG = 9.25 ± 0.19 °Brix (B).