In vitro selection of Pesticide tolerance and Regeneration of Plantlets in Solanum melongena L.

Egg plant cotyledons (Solanum melongena L.) were used to initiate on MS medium supplemented with 2 mg/l NAA. After a month’s growth the healthy callus was transferred to a similar medium supplemented with 2 insecticides – Endosulfan and Rogor, one fungicide – Kitazin individually at various concentrations (50 – 500 ppm). After 28 days in the pesticide medium most of the cells exposed to higher concentration died, but a few cells remained healthy. The surviving pockets of green cells isolated from 200 and 300 ppm of pesticides transferred aseptically to shoot induction medium and subsequently root induction to the developed shoots. Plants were taken through to maturity in field. The study suggests among the three pesticides employed in this experiment Kitazin 45% EC showed more inhibitory effect than the Endosulfan & Rogor. Keywords: Egg plant, pesticide tolerance, resistant callus and regeneration.