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The evaluation of various desirable traits in eggplant genotypes has facilitated the efficient process of selecting and improving them. Morphological parameters have proven to be valuable in assessing the similarities or differences among different accessions, while molecular data have been used to support the conclusions drawn from the morphological analysis. This study was conducted to evaluate the performance of 42 eggplant genotypes collected from Malaysia, China, and Thailand. The characteristics under investigation were shown to be highly significant (p < 0.01) by analysis of variance (ANOVA). It was noted that the plants TV17 (5.59 kg) and MV18 (5.97 kg) produced large yields per plant. The SSR markers used exhibited moderate average values for the number of alleles (2.53). The major allele frequency displayed a high average value (0.53) and a moderate average number of effective alleles (2.31). Additionally, the observed Shannon’s information index, expected heterozygosity, and PIC were high (0.84, 0.54, and 0.45, respectively). Using the unweighted pair-group approach with arithmetic averages based on similarity matrices (UPGMA) Dendrogram, 42 accessions were sorted into five primary groups based on similarities. The findings of this study indicate that the use of simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers can effectively estimate genetic diversity and analyze phylogenetic relationships. Moreover, these markers can assist eggplant breeders in selecting desirable quantitative traits within their breeding program.

Ginger is widely cultivated globally and considered the third most important spice crop due to its medicinal properties. It is cultivated for its therapeutic potential in treating different medical conditions and has been extensively researched for its pharmacological and biochemical properties. Despite its significant value, the potential for genetic improvement and sustainable cultivation has been largely ignored compared to other crop species. Similarly, ginger cultivation is affected by various biotic stresses such as viral, bacterial, and fungal infections, leading to a significant reduction in its potential yields. Several techniques, such as micropropagation, germplasm conservation, mutation breeding, and transgenic have been extensively researched in enhancing sustainable ginger production. These techniques have been utilized to enhance the quality of ginger, primarily due to its vegetative propagation mode. However, the ginger breeding program has encountered challenges due to the limited genetic diversity. In the selection process, it is imperative to have a broad range of genetic variations to allow for an efficient search for the most effective plant types. Despite a decline in the prominence of traditional mutation breeding, induced mutations remain extremely important, aided by a range of biotechnological tools. The utilization of in vitro culture techniques serves as a viable alternative for the propagation of plants and as a mechanism for enhancing varietal improvement. This review synthesizes knowledge on limitations to ginger cultivation, conservation, utilization of cultivated ginger, and the prospects for varietal improvement.

Induced mutation for the creation of desirable traits through chronic gamma irradiation provides an opportunity for the selection and development of new chili varieties. This study was conducted to assess the effects of different doses of chronic gamma irradiation on morpho-physiological traits in chili. Ten plants from each variety were exposed to different doses of chronic gamma irradiation for 277.02 h at three weeks after germination under gamma greenhouse facilities, with accumulative dose; 185.61Gy, 83.11Gy, 47.096Gy, 30.474Gy, 19.4Gy, 13.9Gy, 11.1Gy, 8.31Gy, 5.54Gy) and 2.77Gy respectively. Highly significant differences were observed among doses (Rings) of chronic gamma irradiation expressed in mean values for all investigated traits. Relatively moderate doses of chronic gamma irradiation represented by doses 47.096 Gy (Ring 4) and 19.40 Gy (Ring 6) resulted in significant stimulation for most of the studied characters. The highest heritability was recorded in days to flowering at 99.88 while the lowest was observed in fruit dry weight at 34.66 %. High genetic advance were recorded for most of the quantitative traits studied. In addition, a highly significant positive correlation was observed between total fruit per plant, total number of fruit per plant, plant height, fruit fresh weight, number of secondary branches, chlorophyll a, fruit dry weight, total chlorophyll content, stem diameter, fruit length and fruit girth. With increasing chronic gamma dose, mutagenic efficiency and efficacy generally increased. Induced variety of desirable features will considerably increase the chilli's amelioration through mutation breeding, leading to the development of improved varieties. The results of this research offer valuable information for the use of chronic gamma radiation in the mutations breeding of Capsicum annuum L., which will be advantageous for future breeding programs.