Allele Mining, Amplicon Sequencing and Computational Prediction of Solanum Melongena L. FT/TFL1 Gene Homologs Uncovers Putative Variants Associated to Seed Dormancy and Germination

The FT/TFL1 gene homolog family plays a crucial role in the regulation of floral induction, seed dormancy and germination in angiosperms. Despite its importance, the FT/TFL1 gene homologs in eggplant (Solanum melongena L.) have not been characterized to date. In this study, we performed a genome-wide identification of FT/TFL1 genes in eggplant using in silico genome mining. The presence of these genes was validated in four economically important eggplant cultivars (Surya, EP-47 Annamalai, Pant Samrat and Arka Nidhi) through Pacbio RSII amplicon sequencing. Our results revealed the presence of 12 FT/TFL1 gene homologs in eggplant, with evidence of diversification among FT-like genes suggesting their possible adaptations towards various environmental stimuli. The amplicon sequencing also revealed the presence of two alleles for certain genes (SmCEN-1, SmCEN-2, SmMFT-1 and SmMFT-2) of which SmMFT-2 was associated with seed dormancy and germination. This association was further supported by the observation that seed dormancy is rarely reported in domesticated eggplant cultivars, but is commonly observed in wild species. A survey of the genetic regions in domesticated cultivars and a related wild species, S. incanum, showed that the alternative allele of S. incanum was present in some members of the Pant Samrat cultivar, but was absent in most other cultivars. This difference could contribute to the differences in seed traits between wild and domesticated eggplants.