Eggplant Crops Research Articles

Effect of Zinc on Germination, Growth Yield of (Solanum melongena L.)

Eggplant (Solanum melongena L.) is an economically significant crop, valued for its culinary versatility and nutritional content. Understanding the factors that influence its growth is crucial for optimizing agricultural practices and improving yield. Zinc, an essential micronutrient, plays a vital role in various physiological processes within plants, including enzyme activation, photosynthesis, and hormone regulation. This study investigated the effect of zinc supplementation on the growth parameters of eggplant. The experiment was conducted in Botany Lab of Maharishi University of Information Technology, Lucknow in earthen Pots filled with garden soil. Where eggplant seedlings were subjected to different levels of zinc supplementation. Parameters such as plant height, leaf area, root development, and biomass accumulation were measured at regular intervals over the growth period. Results indicated a significant positive correlation between zinc concentration and various growth parameters of eggplant. Seedlings treated with higher zinc concentrations, enhanced leaf expansion, and more extensive root systems compared to those with lower or no zinc supplementation. Furthermore, zinc-treated eggplants displayed improved resistance to certain environmental stressors, suggesting a potential role of zinc in enhancing plant resilience. These findings underscore the importance of adequate zinc supply in promoting the growth and development of eggplant crops, thereby contributing to higher yields and improved agricultural sustainability. Further research is warranted to elucidate the underlying mechanisms of zinc-mediated growth enhancement in eggplant and optimize zinc application strategies for maximum benefit.

Current status of research on Aleurodicus dugesii (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) on dutch eggplant

Abstract. Yuliadhi KA, Listihani L, Selangga DGW, Sudiarta IP, Wirya GNAS, Temaja IGRM. 2024. Current status of research on Aleurodicus dugesii (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) on dutch eggplant. Biodiversitas 25: 2241-2248. Aleurodicus dugesii Cockerell whitefly is considered to be a polyphagous insect which can parasitise a wide variety of hosts. Horticultural crops are the commodity most dominantly attacked by A. dugesii. Information on population density, damage severity, and genetic diversity of A. dugesii in Indonesia is still limited. This research aimed to determine the population density, the damage severity, and the genetic variety of A. dugesii at an eggplant cultivating center in Kintamani District, Bangli, Bali. The research was conducted on 8 plantations in Kintamani District. The A. dugesii was identified through morphology and molecular method of Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). Aleurodicus dugesii egg placement characteristics are circular, following the wax path formed, and at the underside of the leaf, there would be soft, long wax filament resembling a beard produced during the nymph stage. The highest A. dugesii whitefly population in duct eggplant crops during nymph, pupae, and imago stages were 184.6, 131.3, and 152.2 individuals per leaf. In Kintamani District, the highest damage severity reached 62%. The highest nucleotide homology of A. dugesii DNA cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) was found in the same species from Indonesia and the US, with >97% resemblance. This research enriches the information about the widening A. dugesii distribution area in Indonesia.

Productive Specialty Eggplant Cultivars Suitable for Small Farms in the Southeastern Coastal Plain

Specialty eggplants (Solanum melongena L.), cultivars with fruit shapes, sizes, and colors different from the typical teardrop-shaped, dark purple eggplant fruit, are an underproduced vegetable commodity in the southeastern United States. Seven cultivars representing seven different fruit types were grown in Charleston, SC, USA, in Spring and Fall 2018 and 2019 to assess cultivar productivity and net return. Despite year-to-year variability, Hansel (Chinese type), Millionaire (Japanese type), and Gretel (white fruit) generally had greater weights of both marketable (US Fancy and No. 1 fruit) and edible (US Fancy, No. 1 and No. 2) fruit than Fairy Tale (Sicilian type) and Patio Baby (Indian type), whereas the globe-fruited cultivars Black Beauty (heirloom) and Rosa Bianca (Italian type), had intermediate yields. Yields of plants after ratooning in the fall were lower than in the spring before ratooning. Prices per carton paid by local food hubs for US Fancy, No. 1, and No. 2 fruit were two to three times greater than wholesale terminal market prices. Nevertheless, fruit weights were a greater determinant of net returns than prices were. Growers in the southeastern coastal plain can maximize net returns from specialty eggplant crops by choosing cultivars that produce high fruit weights.

Microbial consortium with multifunctional attributes for the plant growth of eggplant (Solanum melongena L.).

In the past few decades, the pressure of higher food production to satisfy the demand of ever rising population has inevitably increased the use synthetic agrochemicals which have deterioration effects. Biostimulants containing beneficial microbes (single inoculants and microbial consortium) were found as an ideal substitute of synthetic chemical fertilizers. In recent years, microbial consortium is known as a better bioinoculant in comparison to single inoculant bioformulation because of multifarious plant growth-promoting advantages. Looking at the advantageous effect of consortium, in present investigation, different bacteria were isolated from rhizospheric soil and plant samples collected from the Himalayan mountains on the green slopes of the Shivaliks, Himachal Pradesh. The isolated bacteria were screened for nitrogen (N) fixation, phosphorus (P)solubilization and potassium (K) solubilization plant growth promotingattributes, and efficient strains were identified through 16S rRNA gene sequencingand BLASTn analysis. The bacteria showing a positive effect in NPK uptake were developed as bacterial consortium for the growth promotion of eggplant crop. A total of 188 rhizospheric and endophytic bacteria were sorted out, among which 13 were exhibiting nitrogenase activity, whereas 43 and 31 were exhibiting P and K solubilization traits, respectively. The selected three efficient and potential bacterial strains were identified using 16S rRNA gene sequencing as Enterobacter ludwigii EU-BEN-22 (N-fixer; 35.68 ± 00.9 nmol C2H4 per mg protein per h), Micrococcus indicus EU-BRP-6 (P-solubilizer; 201 ± 0.004 mg/L), and Pseudomonas gessardii EU-BRK-55 (K-solubilizer; 51.3 ± 1.7 mg/mL), and they were used to develop a bacterial consortium. The bacterial consortium evaluation on eggplant resulted in the improvement of growth (root/shoot length and biomass) and physiological parameters (chlorophyll, carotenoids, total soluble sugar, and phenolic content) of the plants with respect to single culture inoculation, chemical fertilizer, and untreated control. A bacterial consortium having potential to promote plant growth could be used as bioinoculant for horticulture crops growing in hilly regions.

The Role of Predatory Insects in Regulating the Population of the Main Insect Pests Attacking Eggplant (Solanum melanogena L) Crop under Open Field Conditions

The Role of Predatory Insects in Regulating the Population of the Main Insect Pests Attacking Eggplant (Solanum melanogena L) Crop under Open Field Conditions

ӘРТҮРЛІ ТӘСІЛДЕРМЕН СУҒАРУ КЕЗІНДЕГІ БҰРЫШ ЖӘНЕ БАКЛАЖАН ДАҚЫЛДАРЫНЫҢ СУДЫ ПАЙДАЛАНУ КОЭФФИЦИЕНТІН ЗЕРТТЕУ

The scientific article presents the results of a study of the coefficient of water use of pepper and eggplant crops when watering in various ways. Water agriculture consumes a large amount of water. In order to save water supplied to agricultural crops, effective irrigation methods are used. The water use of crops varies and depends on various indicators. Pepper and eggplant cultures obtained as a result of research work are among the most commonly grown crops. In recent years, these crops have been drip-watered in an open field and greenhouse. In the research work, pepper and eggplant cultures were grown through seedlings in an open field, they were systematized and watered drip. Before determining the water use coefficient of vegetable crops, their total water use and average daily water use are determined. Total water use and average daily water use of pepper and eggplant crops were low in the drip irrigation variant. It was found that the height of vegetable crops in the drip irrigation variant was higher than +4+5 cm. In the variant of systematic irrigation, the coefficient of water use of vegetable crops was 40 m3/c in the corner, in the variant of drip irrigation-21 m3/c, in the variant of drip irrigation, this indicator was below 20.8 m3/c in the corner, in the variant of drip irrigation-11.2 m3/с. In the drip irrigation variant, the water use coefficient of crops was lower than 9.8-19 m3/c (47-52%).

Phytosanitary state of open-field vegetable crop agroecosystems of the genus Solanum, Raphanus, Brassica in the central part of the Right-Bank Forest-Steppe of Ukraine

Goal. Phytosanitary assessment and determination of pest and disease prevalence and development in open-field vegetable crop plantings of the genus Solanum (tomato, pepper, eggplant), genus Raphanus (radish, oilseed radish, common radish, black radish, daikon), and genus Brassica (cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli) in the Central Part of the Right-Bank Forest-Steppe Region of Ukraine.
 Methods. The research was conducted using established entomological, phytopathological, and horticultural methods. From 2008 to 2022, the population, distribution, and development of pests and phytopathogens were assessed in households and small farms within the Cherkasy region of Ukraine.
 Results. Among the dominant pest species in the agroecosystems of vegetable crops from the genus Solanum, insects accounted for 80% (8 species), followed by mites at 10% (1 species), and slugs at 10% (1 species). In agroecosystems of Brassicaceae crops, insects caused significant damage, constituting 94% (16 species) of the total pest structure, along with naked snails (1 species). The area of infestation in tomato, sweet pepper, and eggplant crops by phytophagous insects ranged from 13% to 98%, with plant damage ranging from 14% to 65%. Common spider mites accounted for 26%. Exceedances of the Economic Pest Threshold (EPT) were observed, such as Leptinotarsa decemlineata Say at 2.6 times, Gryllotalpa gryllotalpa L., Trialeurodes vaporariorum Wstw., Agrotis segetum Denis & Schiff., and Lacanobia oleracea at 2.2 times, Agriotes spp. larvae at 1.4 times, and Tetranychus urticae Koch. at 1.9 times the threshold levels. The highest area of infestation in Brassicaceae crops was found for Eurydema ventralis (46.7%), Pieris brassicae (42.4%), Agrotis segetum Denis & Schiff. (41.6%), Phyllotreta crusiferae and Phyllotreta undulate (37.6—37.8%), and Brevicoryne brassicae (26.6%). Exceedances of the EPT were recorded at 1.1—2.5 times for these pests. In the structure of the phytopathogenic complex of vegetable crop agroecosystems, fungi were dominant, accounting for an average of 49—58%. Viral pathogens had the smallest share, approximately 6—8%, causing mosaic diseases. Bacterial and oomycete agents occupied an intermediate position in the pathogenic complex structure. Nevertheless, their negative impact on plant health could be significant.
 Conclusions. In the Cherkasy region, which encompasses the central part of the Right-Bank Forest-Steppe of Ukraine, approximately 75% of surveyed vegetable crop plantings, including tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, radishes, oilseed radishes, common radishes, black radishes, daikons, cabbages, cauliflowers, and broccolis, exhibit high pest infestations exceeding the EPT thresholds, indicating an ecologically hazardous phytosanitary state. In these agroecosystems, insects dominated, representing 80% and 94% of the pest structure in Solanum and Brassicaceae crops, respectively. Additionally, significant damage was attributed to naked snails (Kailie gliemeži) and, in the case of Solanum crops, mites (Tetranychus urticae Koch.). EPT exceedances ranged from 1.1 to 2.5 times, depending on the pest species. Fungi, causing mycoses, dominated the phytopathogenic complex structure, ranging from 14% to 40% (max 88—90%). The prevalence of diseases varied from 21% to 38%, with disease development rates ranging from 21% to 33%. Among the identified phytopathogens, five species are among the world’s most dangerous: Pseudomonas syringae and Xanthomonas campestris (bacteria), Botrytis cinerea and Fusarium oxysporum (fungi), and Phytophthora infestans (oomycete), which require strict control of their populations.

Design and development of a vegetable plug seedling transplanting mechanism for a semi-automatic transplanter

The most important operation in the vegetable cultivation is transplanting of vegetable seedling which can be acomplished efficiently by transplanters. A transplanting unit is a crucial component of the vegetable transplanter since it can substantially impact its overall effectiveness. The current study designed and developed a transplanting unit of a two-row tractor-mounted semi-automatic type vegetable seedling (plug type) transplanter. It includes a 5-bar planting mechanism, a hopping dibber planter with a bearing-fitted lever, and a half-open double-door planter opening mechanism. The planting geometry of 0.60×0.45 m was considered during the design process. To evaluate the functional viability and basic machine settings, the transplanting unit underwent preliminary laboratory testing. The field testing investigated the impact of the two types of germination tray cavities, three feeding systems, soil-covering wheel tilt angle, and plant age on the upright plant percentage. For the tomato and eggplant crops, the mean value of the upright plants transplanted by machine ranging from 89.35-94.21 % and 91.32-94.91 % across all treatment combinations; at a 5 % significance level, the differences were not statistically significant. However, the main effect of the soil-covering wheel tilt angle and the plant age on the upright plant percentage was statistically significant at a 5 % significance level in both crops. The mechanism has the ability to significantly raise transplanting quality, which may satisfy the mechanism's design and manufacturing requirements.

Assessing the effect of deficit drip irrigation regimes on crop performance of eggplant

Irrigation of eggplants tremendously increases their yields amidst climate change. However, little is known about the deficit irrigation level for optimum growth of eggplant crops. This study investigated the effect of deficit drip irrigation on performance of eggplants to guide improvement in irrigation water use efficiency (IWUE). The study was conducted on sandy clay loam soil for two growing seasons using a randomized complete block design (RCBD) field experimental set up. The considered treatments were: percentages of Field Capacity (FC) as T1: 25 % FC; T2: 50 % FC; T3: 75 % FC; T4: 100 % FC; with a control being no irrigation (T0: 0 % FC), and all were performed in triplicates. Irrigation scheduling was based on the readings of the ML3 Thetaprobe sensor from which the soil moisture deficit was calculated and adjusted to percentages corresponding to the different treatments, under supplementary irrigation. All Treatments were subjected to the same agronomic treatments. Plant growth parameters, yield, IWUE, and fruit quality parameters were determined. Analysis of Variance was performed with R Studio software at 5 % significance level, and Tukey multiple comparison test was used for separating the means. Results showed that plant growth, yield, IWUE, and crop quality parameters significantly differed (p < 0.05) across the deficit levels. The highest mean yield, and IWUE of 39.1 ton/ha and 18.1 kg/m3 respectively were obtained in T3. The lowest mean yield was 13.5 ton/ha in T0, while the lowest mean IWUE was 6.2 kg/m3 in T1. The results imply that T3 is a limit of crop water application beyond which yield and IWUE of eggplants cease to increase and thus, start reducing. This study therefore, concludes that irrigating eggplants at 75 % FC maximizes yield and water saving in sandy clay loam soil.

The concentrations of N, P, and K nutrients in the vegetative and fruiting parts and eggplant yield are affected by mineral fertilization and the locations where fertilizers are applied.

A field experiment was carried out in one of the farms in the district of Al-Suwaira-Wasit governorate for the 2021 agricultural season. To find out the effect of adding levels of NPK and the sites of addition on their concentrations in the vegetative and fruiting part and the productivity of the eggplant crop. The study included three levels of NPK and was given the symbols (C0, C1, and C2) and two places to add fertilizer 10 and 20 cm next to the plant, and they were given the symbols D2 and D1 sequentially. Six treatments were produced from the fertile levels, and the additional distances are C2D2, C2D1, C1D2, C1D1, C0D2, and C0D1; with three replications, experimental units become 18 units. A completely randomized block design (RCBD) was used to distribute treatments. The dry weight and root diameters of the plant were taken, and the NPK concentrations were estimated in the vegetative part at the end of the season, as well as the NPK concentrations in the fruiting part of the first and last fairies and the cumulative yield was taken. The results showed a significant effect of NPK levels on nitrogen and phosphorous concentrations in the vegetative and fruiting parts, while the effect was not significant on potassium concentration. The position of the fertilizer application did not significantly affect the concentration of NPK in the plant. The level of the second fertilization, C2, had a significant effect on the dry weight of the plant. Fertilization levels had a significant effect on root diameter and yield. Keywords: Mineral fertilization, application, NPK, eggplant.

Assessing the application of modern irrigation systems under greenhouse and open field conditions on the productivity of different crops (eggplants case)

Optimal management of water resources to increase water productivity of crops remains one of the main research topics worldwide, particularly in semiarid countries like Egypt. In this framework, objective of this research is to assess the response of crops to surface and subsurface drip irrigation systems, imputed soil characteristics, water productivity and yield indices under greenhouse and open fields conditions, field experements are performed using eggplant crop. Results show that for surface drip irrigation, the pH, EC, Ca++ and NO3- are slightly higher than that obtained for mature soil before experiment. For the Greenhouse using surface and subsurface drip irrigation systems; EC, Ca and pH increased compared to the open field conditions. Using greenhouse under surface and subsurface drip irrigation for eggplant saves 17.5 and 18.8% of applied irrigation water in the first season, and 17.2 and 18.3% in the second season respectively. Water productivity increased by 94.95 and 96.2% in the first season and 89.9 and 90.9% in the second season, compared to open field. Net returns of greenhouse are 89.62 and 81.71% higher than open field under surface and subsurface drip irrigation in the first season, while in the second season the values are 83.7 and 75.9% respectively.

Machine learning techniques in estimation of eggplant crop evapotranspiration

This study predicted the daily evapotranspiration of eggplant (Solanum melongena L.) under full and deficit irrigation in the Bafra district of Samsun province, Turkey, using machine learning methods. Artificial neural networks (ANNs), deep neural networks (DNN), M5 model tree (M5Tree), random forest (RF), support vector machine (SVM), k-nearest neighbor (kNN), and adaptive boosting were investigated as machine learning approaches. Determination of evapotranspiration in this study consists of three methods: (i) The reference evapotranspiration (ETo) was obtained from the Food and Agriculture Organization-56 Penman–Monteith equation, (ii) the values of evapotranspiration (ETc) calculated by multiplying the reference evapotranspiration by the crop coefficient (Kc), and (iii) the values of evapotranspiration (ETa) measured using soil water balance between successive soil water measurements as the outputs. The model’s performance in ETo estimation was higher when minimum and maximum temperature (Tmax and Tmin), wind speed (u2), average relative humidity (RHavg), solar radiation (Rs), and days of the year were used as inputs. The best performance was obtained in the ANN model with a coefficient of determination (R2) value of 0.984, a mean absolute error (MAE) of 0.098 mm d−1, a root-mean-square error (RMSE) of 0.153 mm d−1, and Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency of 0.983. The model’s performance in ETc estimation was significantly improved with the addition of leaf area index (LAI) and crop height (hc) to the climate parameters (MAE and RMSE values decreased by 22.6 and 23.2%, respectively). The accuracy of ETc estimation for some plant traits (hc and LAI) and average temperature (Tavg) was sufficient. The best statistical performance in estimating ETa was obtained by the RF model (Tavg, u2, RHavg, and Rs) using climate parameters. DNN proved to be the least successful model compared to the other six models in predicting ETo, ETc, and ETa.

Deep Learning for Medium-Scale Agricultural Crop Detection through Aerial View Images

This research project focuses on utilizing two state-of-the-art YOLOv4-based deep learning models, for large-scale agricultural crop detection using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). The objective is to develop an accurate and efficient crop detection system capable of identifying chili crops, eggplant crops, and empty polybags in agricultural fields. Crops detection is important for the development of a robotic vision in maximize the productivity and efficiency in agriculture associate with the development of concept Industry 4.0. This study seek to explore the comparison between YOLOv4 and YOLOv4 tiny model in term of mean average precision (mAP), precision, recall, F1-score, detection time and memory consumption. A custom dataset with 300 images was collected and annotated into total bounding boxes of 23335 with 6969 chili tree, 15402 eggplant tree and 964 empty polybag. The dataset was separated into train, validation and test set with the ratio of 70:20:10. The dataset was trained into YOLOv4 and YOLOv4 tiny with 2000 iterations. The result has shown that the YOLOv4 has the higher mean AP of 91.49% with 244.2mb memory storage consumption while YOLOv4 tiny achieve lower mean AP of 71.83% with 22.4mb. In summary, this research has significated the implementation of deep learning models to perform large-scale agricultural crop detection and can be further develop into automation industrial 4.0 of local agricultural sector.

EFFECT OF VERMICOMPOST ASSOCIATED WITH MYCORHIZAL FUNGI ON THE GROWTH OF EGGPLANT IN ORGANIC GREENHOUSE AGRICULTURE

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Background&lt;/strong&gt;. In West Africa, the eggplant crop participates in the fight against rural poverty, hunger and malnutrition due to their higher nutritional contents. However, this crop is faced with several constraints including poor soils and low yielding cultivars. It is known that mycorhization of plants improves plant nutrition while preserving them from certain pests. &lt;strong&gt;Objective.&lt;/strong&gt; To evaluate the combination of mycorhization and vermicompost effect on eggplant plants growth and yield. &lt;strong&gt;Methodology.&lt;/strong&gt; A consortium of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) from forest soils was trapped using maize roots and used as inoculum for eggplant, Djamba F1 variety. A trial using this inoculum combined or not to vermicompost was carried out for 90 days under a greenhouse. Selected soil properties, eggplant growth and yield indicator were recorded at the end of trial. &lt;strong&gt;Results.&lt;/strong&gt; As expected, soil vermicompost alone or combined to inoculum displayed an increase of soil parameter such as pH, exchangeable base cations, total organic matter, total nitrogen compared to control and soil with AM alone. Soil with AM alone had a limited impact on the growth and yield of eggplant. In contrast, all treatments including vermicompost (vermicompost alone and vermicompost + AM) showed a significant increase of eggplant growth parameters and yield’s indicators. &lt;strong&gt;Implications.&lt;/strong&gt; These results highlighted a need to carry out a screening of mycorrhizal fungi from eggplant production areas to isolate and identify the efficient strains of mycorrhizal fungi for symbiosis with eggplant under tropical conditions. &lt;strong&gt;Conclusion. &lt;/strong&gt;The vermicompost significantly improved the growth of the eggplant. Its coupling with a consortium of spores of the genera&lt;em&gt; &lt;/em&gt;results in better plant growth and yield. This combination has a significant effect on the studied parameters (height, crown diameter, biomass and yield). &lt;/p&gt;

Spatial and temporal cooccurrence among Neotropical native coccinellids and the exotic Harmonia axyridis

Coccinellids are important biological control agents and aphid predators in horticultural crops around the world. Neotropical Cycloneda sanguinea, Eriopis connexa and Coleomegilla quadrifasciata octodecimpustulata, and the exotic Harmonia axyridis (all Coleoptera: Coccinellidae), are predators that mainly feed on aphids. In this work we described the abundance of these coccinellid species and their spatial and temporal cooccurrence in agroecological eggplant crop of Argentina. We also estimate the intensity and symmetry of the intraguild predation between C. quadrifasciata octodecimpustulata and the other species in laboratory experiments. Both temporal and spatial segregation was observed. H. axyridis was the strongest intraguild predator in the interaction with C. quadrifasciata octodecimpustulata, and this latter was the strongest intraguild predator in interaction with C. sanguinea and E. connexa. In this context, native coccinellid species would be vulnerable to the exotic and invasive H. axyridis; however, the lack of cooccurrence of this species with the native ones, under conditions of low density of extra-guild prey would indicate that spatial segregation could be the mechanism by which these species coexist in the eggplant crop.

Aplikasi Irigasi Tetes Bertingkat Dengan Tanaman Horti Kultura di Perumahan Padat Penduduk Kota Mataram Hulu

This study aims to determine the application of a three-storey drip irrigation system to horticultural crops of chilies, kale and eggplant as one of the household food supporting crop commodities. In addition to increasing the potential for irrigation and boosting the economy from agricultural products on this limited land, it is necessary to know this, so that it can be used as material for consideration in maintaining family food security. Irrigation test activities were also carried out on irrigation uniformity, irrigation distribution and irrigation depth at various irrigation times. Tests were carried out on variations of soil and compost as planting media with the ratios of: 70%: 30%, 50%: 50%, 30%: 70% and four variations in tank water volume. The drip application network uses ½” PVC pipe and dripe on the third floor, while for the first and second levels the Netafim (NTF) pipe is 12 mm. The secondary irrigation network uses ¾ inch, 1 ½ inch and ½ inch PVC in an irrigation test chamber measuring 1.5 m x 4 m and a height of 1 m between levels. The results of the analysis of the test data showed that the uniformity of PVC drip irrigation and NTF combined obtained an average of above 95%, with a very even distribution of water. Irrigation depth obtained at all variations of the water tank level, that is, at 70% of the soil ranges from 3cm -20 cm, at 50% of the soil ranges from 4cm - 20cm and at 30% the amount of infiltration ranges from 2.5 cm - 18.5 cm. Multilevel drip irrigation can support the provision of family food in meeting the needs of kitchen ingredients such as chilies and vegetables to support family food security

Quantifying the effect of fermented liquid bio formulations and organic amendments on yield and quality of eggplant (Solanum melongena L.)

The use of organic amendments in agriculture is more sustainable for the environment, biodiversity and enhancing food quality. Hence, organic agriculture is gaining more popularity and have shown remarkable increase in yield and quality of vegetable crops. Among vegetables, eggplant (Solanum melongena L.) is well known for its therapeutic properties, low production costs and round year availability. Hence to quantify the response of organic bioformulations on eggplant, two-year field experiment was conducted with ten treatments that is, T1-100% RDN (through vermicompost and poultry manure in the ratio of 50:50); T2-90% RDN + Panchagavya (5%); T3 − 90% RDN + Jeevamrut (5%); T4 − 90% RDN + Panchagavya (5%) + Jeevamrut (5%); T5 − 80% RDN + Panchagavya (5%); T6 − 80% RDN + Jeevamrut (5%); T7 − 80% RDN + Panchagavya (5%) + Jeevamrut (5%); T8 − 70% RDN + Panchagavya (5%); T9 −70% RDN + Jeevamrut (5%); T10 − 70% RDN + Panchagavya (5%) + Jeevamrut (5%) with three replications. Among different treatments, the application of 90% RDN + Panchagavya (5%) + Jeevamrut (5%) has significantly improved plant growth attributes (plant height, plant biomass, root mass density), fruit quality (fruit length, diameter, weight, TSS) and yield during both the years. Hence it is concluded that application of organic bio formulations have the potential to improve the plant growth, yield, and quality attributes of eggplant crop.

Juxtaposition of Push-Type Wheel Hoe to Evaluate Its Weeding Coherence and Impair on Eggplant

Abstract: A study was done to access the best suited mechanical weed control method in eggplant crop as use of mechanical methods in eggplant crop will enhance the crop growth and reduce the use of herbicides and chemicals that affect the soil properties of crop. The weeding efficiency of the wheel hoe1 and wheel hoe2 was calculated at different levels of forward speed and depth of weeding in Allahabad region in eggplant crop at 21st, 40th and 75th day after sowing. The plant damage was recorded at the fifth day after the weeding operation was performed in the field. The plant damage increased as the speed of operation increased but the depth of operation had no significant effect on the plant damage. Plant damage was dependent upon the skill of the operator and environmental factors like sunshine, wind etc

Effects of Shade Nets on Microclimatic Conditions, Growth, Fruit Yield, and Quality of Eggplant (Solanum melongena L.): A Case Study in Carnarvon, Western Australia

Carnarvon has a hot, semi-arid climate with high temperatures and solar radiation during spring–summer, which damages crops and limits the production season for the local vegetable industry. Protective cultivation is one of the promising approaches to mitigate these adverse weather conditions and avoid the resulting damage to vegetable crops. This study, which is part of the protected cropping research program for vegetable crops in Western Australia, was conducted to understand how the shade nets of a protective net house modify the microenvironment affecting the growth, physiology, and fruit yield of eggplants, a model vegetable crop. The eggplant crop was grown under four light regimes, i.e., three shade factors (11%, 21%, 30%) and the open field. There were three replicated blocks under each light regime and four eggplant varieties that were randomized within the replicated blocks. Other experimental conditions, e.g., fertilising, irrigation, pest, and disease management and other cultural practices were identical across light regimes. The results showed that shade nets created different microenvironments inside the net house, with a large variation in the light intensity, affecting photosynthetic-related traits. Eggplants grew taller and bushier and gave higher fruit yield under shade compared to the open field. Overall, our data suggest that the 21% shade net appeared to be the most suitable for growing eggplants during the autumn to early spring period in Carnarvon. The future perspective of protected cropping technology for vegetable crop production in Carnarvon is also discussed.

INFLUENCE OF SOME SOLANUM ROOTSTOCKS ON EGGPLANT CROPS FROM ROMANIA

Some results regarding the influence of some Solanum rootstocks on eggplant crops from Romania are in this study. Eggplants are popular vegetables all around the world. Among the grafting aims are fruit yield and quality. Eggplant grafting has been a tradition for over 15 years at the Horting Institute from Bucharest. Grafting combinations used have been the S. melongena scions (Aragon F1 from Hazera, Israel and Luiza variety from the Research–Development Institute Vidra, Romania), the S. lycopersicum x S. habrochaites rootstock (Emperador F1 from Rijk Zwaan, Nethelands) and the S. melongena rootstock (L23B eggplant hybrid from germplasm colection of the Research Station Buzău, Romania). By comparing the fruit yield and carbohydrates content of the grafted or non-grafted variants, the grafted eggplants have had outstanding results, values higher than at control eggplants. Production increment has been up to 25.44% (Luiza x Emperador). Carbohydrate content has increased up to 0.14% (Aragon x Emperador). Researches on the identification of some rootstocks compatible with eggplant scions continues in Romania.