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Guide
AVRDC
Training
AVRDC
Asian Vegetable Research and Development Center; P.O. Box 42, Shanhua; Taiwan 741; ROC
tel: (886-6) 583-7801 fax: (886-6) 583-0009 email: avrdcbox@netra.avrdc.org.tw www: http://www.avrdc.org.tw
Eggplant Seed
Production
N.C. Chen
Introduction
The eggplant originates from India and is now gen-
erally grown as a vegetable throughout the tropi-
cal, sub-tropical and warm temperate areas of the
world. It is an important vegetable in India, China
and Japan. In recent years, it has increased in im-
portance as a protected crop in Northern Europe.
The varieties of Solanum melongena L. dis-
play a wide range of fruit shapes and colors, rang-
ing from oval or egg-shaped to long club-shaped;
and from white, yellow, green through degrees of
purple pigmentation to almost black. Most of the
commercially important varieties have been se-
lected from the long established types of the tropi-
cal India and China. In the past, farmers maintained
and supplied seeds of eggplant with special type
of varieties adapted in the region. Now there are
an increasing number of F
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hybrid varieties bred
by seed companies and the seed production of egg-
plant is shifting from farmer’s hands to seed com-
panies.
Environment
Environmental factors are important in the produc-
tion of eggplant seed. The same climatic factors
that influence the cultivation of eggplant as a mar-
ket vegetable also act on seed production. Egg-
plant is a warm season crop. It requires a long and
warm growing season for successful production. It
is more susceptible to lower temperatures than to-
mato and pepper. A day temperature of 25–32 °C
and a night temperature of 21–27 °C are ideal for
Fig. 1. Eggplant flower.
Guide
plant growth and fruit development. Comparatively
a hardy crop, it can tolerate drought and heavy
rainfall. However, it is advisable to select a dry cli-
mate or at least a season with a low air humidity,
which discourages fruit rot and other diseases.
Furthermore, good soil and adequate fertilization
are essential