Exploring phenotypic stability for berry yield of Solasodine rich germplasm accessions of Kantakari (Solanum...

Kantakari (Solanum virginianum L.) is an important medicinal plant used in various traditional systems of medicine in India. It is an important source of 'Solasodine' a steroidal alkaloid which has wide industrial applications, including oral contraceptives and other pharmaceutical uses. Non availability of improved varieties of kantakari affects the yield and quality of raw drug used for medicinal applications. Development of varieties with high berry yield with acceptable level of stability is challenging in Kantakari. The study explores a multivariate approach to decipher the stability of berry yield in solasodine rich germplasm accessions of Kantakari. Twenty-three accessions of kantakari collected from diverse geographical locations were evaluated in a randomized block design with three replications for three (2020-2023) seasons at Coimbatore, India to identify stable high yielding accessions for cultivation. Combined ANOVA showed the predominance of significant genotype (G), environment (E) and genotype-by-environment (GEI) interactions affecting the berry yield. Additive main effects and multiplicative interaction (AMMI) model for GEI showed that two highly significant interaction principal components (IPC1-IPC2). Using these significant IPCAs, twelve AMMI stability parameters and simultaneous selection for berry yield and stability (SSI) were derived. Simultaneous selection index was found superior to AMMI indices in identifying the stable and high yielding accessions. The accession Ss12 was found highly stable with high berry yield which was followed by Ss41, Ss1, Ss14, Ss17 and Ss13 which could be released as varieties for commercial cultivation. The stable high yielding accessions can also be considered for further varietal development and could be used in a breeding program. The findings of the study lay foundation for genetic improvement of Kantakari.