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

SummaryYield 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.