Morphological Characterization and Assessment of Selected Biochemical Properties of Solanum Insanum L.: Screening of Local Plant Genetic Resources for Crop Improvement

Purpose: Solanum insanum L. is remaining as an underutilized crop due to little evidence from scientific studies on its medicinal and nutritional values.  Lack of such basic information on the plant obscured the in-depth biochemical or molecular studies as well as its uses in plant breeding. The study was aimed to identify the morphological variations of S. insanum and its selected biochemical properties. Research Method: Characterization of 71 accessions collected from different agro-ecological regions was carried out following the descriptor developed by the IBPGR and antioxidant activity, total phenolic content and browning of the fruits were also measured at the level of 5% probability. Findings: The results revealed that there were two distinct groups of S. insanum accessions, mainly based on prickliness of the plants. Non prickly plants showed 20.30 ± 0.52% radical scavenging activity (DPPH), 51.98 ± 0.16 mg/100 g fruit weigh (FW) of total phenolic content while prickly plants with 7.10 ± 0.59% radical scavenging activity (DPPH) and 50.62 ± 0.09 mg /100 g FW of total phenolic content in their fruits at the edible maturity. In terms of browning, time taken for color development up to “Grayed orange group 165 b” was 380 ± 10 seconds in fruits of non-prickly plants while 450 ± 17.32 seconds for fruits of prickly plants. Research limitations: Due to the out-crossing nature of the plant, it is difficult to find typical S. insanum plant either from wild or cultivated lands. Originality/Value: Characterization and evaluation of different accessions of S. insanum via morphological characteristics is a prime need before carrying out comprehensive biochemical or molecular studies. It provides fundamental basis for the classification based on vegetative, inflorescence and fruiting characteristics. Accordingly, the results will provide baseline information on S. insanum paving way to select superior germplasm for the taxonomists, breeders and those who are engaged in studies on S. insanum.