BSR-seq for mapping the causal gene responsible for the formation of prickles in eggplant

Eggplant is one of the most important vegetables worldwide, with most varieties displaying prickles. These prickles, present on the leaves, stems, and fruit calyxes, pose challenges during cultivation, harvesting, and transportation, making them an undesirable agronomic trait. To map and clone the genes responsible for the formation of prickles in eggplant, a F2 segregating population derived from prickleless inbred line 'XQ23' and prickly inbred line 'PI381159' was used. Bulk Segregant RNA sequencing (BSR-seq) was performed to map the causal gene with the RNAs of two extreme plant pools (prickled and prickleless) from the segregating population.