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GREEN-Seeds.com
vegetables & herbs
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Eggplant
Solanum
melongena
VARIETIES
(approximately 65-85 days from transplanting in the Willamette Valley).
Purple
and white varieties are available. Shapes range from oval to elongated.
Only the purple, medium to large oval types are of consequence in the
market. There is an increasing demand for the purple elongated types
for specialty Oriental markets.
Purple types
Oval: Beauty,
Dusky (12"x4"), Epic (10"x4"). For trial: Avon (12"x4"), Beauty, Black
Bumper, Classic, Early Royal Hybrid, Oria, Tycoon.
Elongated:
Ichiban, Little Fingers (12"x1.5"), Vernal (12"x2.5"). For trial: Black
Shine, Orient Express (very early, blotchy-purple, 10"x4", curved),
Megal, Twilight, Valentina, Vittoria (tapered, 13"x3", uniform).
Round,
or nearly so: Toska (8"x6"), PS-8280 (1.5" round marble).
Novelty
Bambino,
an early prolific purple baby eggplant that produces thumb-sized fruit
on clusters like cherry tomatoes. Used for shishkabob.
White types: Easter Egg Hybrid, Ghost Buster (6"x7" oval), Casper (elongated
to 6").
Light purple with white stripes: Bride, Pingtung Long (twisted 12"x1
1/2" with white streaks).
Purple with green stripes: Minden Early.
Purple with green and white stripes: Farmers Long.
SOIL
Choose
well-drained, moderately fertile, sandy loam soils. Use soil tests for
liming and fertilization applications. Fertility requirements are similar
to those of tomato and pepper.
To reduce
risk from verticilium wilt and other diseases avoid using fields in
which tomato, pepper, potato, strawberry or caneberries had been planted.
SEED AND SEED TREATMENT
Eggplant
seed numbers approximately 104,000 per pound. Use treated seed. Plant
only aftersoils reach 60 F, optimum germination 75-90 F. Advances is
seed priming and coating can improve germination under cool soil conditions.
Consult your seed dealer about the availability of primed seed.
TRANSPLANT PRODUCTION AND TRANSPLANTING
Eggplant
requires a long growing season, so transplants are most commonly used.
They are usually started in the greenhouse or hotbeds. Sow seeds in
shallow flats of soil mix 9 to 10 weeks before transplanting to the
field. Constant temperatures must be maintained as young plants are
easily checked by cool temperatures or droughts. Transplants grown in
the greenhouse should be kept at the following temperatures for best
results:
Days:
70 to 81 F; nights: 64 to 70 F.
Use transplants
grown in jiffy pots or similar containers so as to minimize shock of
field transplanting.
Use starter
solution made up of 3 lbs 10-34-0 in 50 gallons of water and apply l/2
pint of this solution around the roots of each transplant at time of
planting.
SPACING
Rows 3
to 4 feet apart, plants in the row 1.5 to 2 feet apart.
FERTILIZER
A soil
test is the most accurate guide to fertilizer requirements. The following
recommendations are general guidelines. Adjust pH to 6.0-6.8.
Nitrogen:
75-120 (N) lb/acre
Phosphate: 100-150 (P205) lb/acre
Potash: 50-150 (K20) lb/acre
Sulfur: 20-30 (S) lb/acre
Sidedress
with 30-50 lb/acre of nitrogen after the first flowers are set. In wet
years apply an extra sidedressing. Where mulching and trickle irrigation
are practiced, additional nitrogen can be fed through the trickle irrigation
system at 15 lb/acre when the first fruit begins to set and an additional
15 lb/acre four weeks later. To prevent clogging or plugging from occurring,
use soluble forms of nitrogen (urea or ammonium nitrate) and chlorinate
the system once a month with a 10 to 50 ppm chlorine solution. Chlorinate
more frequently if the flow rate decreases.
IRRIGATION
Maintain
uniform growth. Eggplant may require 14-16 inches of water in western
Oregon, depending on seasonal variation and variety. Approximate summer
irrigation needs for the Hermiston area have been found to be: 3.5 inches
in May, 5.0 in June, 7.5 in July, and 7.0 in August.
Soil type
does not affect the amount of total water needed, but does dictate frequency
of water application. Lighter soils need more frequent irrigation, but
less water applied per irrigation.
GROUND MULCHES AND ROW COVERS
 Black plastic ground
mulches may increase soil temperature, control weeds, and conserve moisture,
increasing yield and earliness. Black plastic ground mulch is recommended
for Western Oregon in particular. For black plastic mulch to increase
soil temperature, it is critical that the soil surface be smooth and that
the plastic adhere tightly to the soil surface. This can only be accomplished
with a machine designed and properly adjusted for this task. Clear plastic
mulch is very effective at transferring heat to the soil but does not
control weeds.
A new generation of
plastic mulch films allows for good weed control together with soil warming
that is intermediate between black plastic and clear film. These films
are called IRT (infrared transmitting) or wavelength selective. They are
more expensive than black or clear films but appear to be cost-effective
where soil warming is important.
Plastic, spunbonded,
and non-woven materials have been developed as crop covers for use as
windbreaks, for frost protection, and to enhance yield and earliness.
They complement the use of plastic mulch and drip irrigation in many crops.
Some sources of these materials and information on their use are:
American AgriFabrics,
Alpharetta, GA. Phone 770-663-700, fax: 770-663-7690, email: dan@agrofabric.com.
Ken-Bar, Inc., Reading, MA. Phone: 800-336-8882, fax: 781-944-1055,
email: kenbarinc@msn.com.
Non-woven or spunbonded
polyester and polypropylene, and perforated polyethylene row covers may
be used for 4 to 8 weeks immediately after transplanting. Covers should
be removed when plants begin to flower to allow proper pollination. Row
covers increase heat unit accumulation by 2 to 3 times over ambient. Two
to four degrees of frost protection may also be obtained at night. Soil
temperatures and root growth are also increased under row covers as are
early yields, and in some cases total yields.
POLLINATION
Although
eggplants have perfect flowers, and self-pollination would not be expected
to be a problem, bees are required for good pollination. Usually, wild
bees are adequate, but if they are not present, bees should be provided.
HARVESTING AND HANDLING
Approximate average
yields of eggplants are 190 cwt/acre with good yields about 250 cwt/acre.
Harvest eggplant fruit
when they have developed full bright color for the variety, but while
they are still firm to touch. At this stage, the seeds will be young,
white, and tender and the flesh firm and white. As the fruit passes the
prime stage for eating and becomes over-mature, the fruit surface becomes
dull, the seeds harden and darken, and the flesh becomes spongy. Prompt
picking increases fruit set and yields.
STORAGE (quoted from USDA Ag. Handbook #66):
Eggplants should be
stored between 45 and 55 F with a recommended humidity of 90-95%. Eggplant
fruit are chilling sensitive at 50 F and below and deteriorate rapidly
at warm temperatures, so they are not adapted to long storage. Pitting,
surface bronzing, and browning of seeds and pulp are symptoms of chilling
injury, and loss of sheen and wilting are symptoms of normal deterioration.
Sensitivity of eggplants to chilling differs with cultivar, maturity,
size of fruit, and season of harvest. Fruit harvested at optimum maturity
or in midsummer are more sensitive than those harvested at an over-mature
stage or in the fall, when the growing temperature is cool. Thus, eggplants
harvested in midsummer can be held about a week at 55 F, whereas those
harvested in fall can be held about 10 days at 48 F. Exposure to ethylene
for 2 or more days hastens deterioration.
Wrapping eggplants
with shrink film reduces weight loss and maintains firmness, due to the
high relative humidity. However, wrapped eggplants decay rapidly if the
film is not perforated. Shrink-film wrapped eggplants are susceptible
to decay caused by Botrytis cinerea and Phomopsis vexans, whereas chilled
eggplants are susceptible to decay by Alternaria when removed from chilling
temperature.
PACKAGING
Eggplants
are commonly packaged in: 33 lb, 1-1/9 bushel containers or wirebound
crates; or cartons packed 18s and 24s, weighing 20-23 lb.
INSECT CONTROL FOR EGGPLANT
THE INSECTICIDES
LISTED BELOW, TAKEN FROM THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST INSECT CONTROL HANDBOOK,
ARE FOR INFORMATION ONLY, AND ARE REVISED ONLY ANNUALLY. BECAUSE OF
CONSTANTLY-CHANGING LABELS, LAWS, AND REGULATIONS, OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY
CAN ASSUME NO LIABILITY FOR THE CONSEQUENCES OF USE OF CHEMICALS SUGGESTED
HERE. IN ALL CASES, READ AND FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS AND PRECAUTIONARY
STATEMENTS ON THE SPECIFIC PESTICIDE PRODUCT LABEL.
USE PESTICIDES
SAFELY!
Wear protective clothing
and safety devices as recommended on the label. Bathe or shower after
each use.
Read the pesticide
label--even if you've used the pesticide before. Follow closely the instructionson
the label (and any other directions you have).
Be cautious when you
apply pesticides. Know your legal responsibility as a pesticide applicator.
You may be liable for injury or damage resulting from pesticide use.
Proper rotations and
field selection can minimize problems with insects.
Insect and Description
Control, Active Ingredient Per Acre
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Aphids endosulfan - 0.5 lb
Different species
Metasystox-R - 0.5 lb
Yellowish-pink to pale greenplant lice.
Suck plant juices. Lannate - 0.225 - 0.9 lb
malathion - 0.6 lb
Vydate L - 0.5 to 1.0 lb
Phosdrin - 0.25 lb
Provado - 0.047 lb
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Colorado potato beetle M-Trak - 2 to 4 qt
Leptinotarsa decemlineata
carbaryl - 0.5 to 2 lb
Adult is robust beetle with five
yellow and black stripes on endosulfan - 0.5 lb
back. Larva is reddish-orange,
humpbacked with two rows of Vydate L - 0.5 to 1.0 lb
black spots on each side.
malathion - 0.6 lb
Asana - 0.03 to 0.05 lb
permethrin - 0.1 to 0.2 lb
Cryolite - see label
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Spider mites malathion - 0.6 lb
Tetranychus spp.
Phosdrin - 0.25 to 0.5 lb
Tiny, spider-like animals located
on undersides of foliage. Feed Metasystox-R - 0.5 lb
on plant juices and cause yellowing
and browning of leaves. Vydate L - 0.5 to 1.0 lb
Vendex 1-2 lb
M-Pede, 1-2% solution, see
label for rate per acre
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Western potato flea beetle Asana - 0.03 to 0.05 lb
Epitrix subcrinita
methoxychlor - 1 to 2.25 lb
Small, oval, shiny, bronze azinphosmethyl - 0.5 lb
jumping beetle. Feeds on foliage. Do not apply after fruit set.
carbaryl - 1 lb
endosulfan - 0.5 lb
Metasystox R - 0.5 lb
permethrin - 0.1 to 0.2 lb
Cryolite - see label
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wireworms Telone II - preplant
Limonius spp.
Telone C-17 - preplant
Brown, jointed larvae of click beetles.
Kill young plants, weaken older ones.
For
updates on above information and authors, please click on osu.orst.edu/Dept/NWREC/vegindex.html
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Green - Seeds Co., Ltd.
81/10B Ho Van Hue Street, Phu Nhuan District, Ward 9, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Tel: +84 (8) 847 6901 - Fax: +84 (8) 844 1392 - Email: info@green-seeds.com
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