Variability in mineral composition of Indian eggplant (Solanum melongena L.) genotypes

Development of mineral-rich varieties of eggplant (Solanum melongena L.) is a breeding objective, increasingly important to achieve eradication of malnutrition. In the present study, 25 morphologically diverse eggplant genotypes comprising 20 germplasm accessions and 5 commercial varieties were analyzed for dry matter, potassium, magnesium, iron, copper and zinc content on a fresh weight (FW) basis. Significant differences in the mineral composition among the genotypes were detected. Germplasm accessions were found to be rich in mineral composition as compared to commercial varieties. Dry matter content ranged from 6.03 to 9.14 g/100 g FW. The macro-minerals such as potassium and magnesium ranged from 159 to 272 mg and 5.15–20.4 mg/100 g FW, respectively. The micro-minerals such as copper, iron and zinc ranged from 0.0453 to 0.144 mg, 0.199–0.813 mg, and 0.0778–0.270 mg/100 g FW, respectively. Potassium and iron rich genotypes, namely IC090146, IC249323 and IC090146 could be exploited as potential donors for developing mineral-rich eggplant varieties.