Effect of grafting on solasodine content in Solanum viarum.

Solasodine--a steroid present in the mucilaginous exotesta of the seed in Solanum viarum Dunal (syn. S. khasianum var. chatterjeeanum) is a major source of steroidal raw material. Evidence for the site of solasodine synthesis was sought through reciprocal grafts involving steroid-bearing S. viarum (both diploid and autotetraploid) and steroid-free, edible Solanum melongena L. (brinjal). The results indicate that the synthesis of solasodine is scion-specific.