High-yield cultivation technology of eggplant

Eggplant, belonging to the Solanaceae family, is an annual herb to subshrub plant originating from subtropical regions. It is widely grown throughout China. Eggplant is rich in nutritional value, containing protein, fat, carbohydrates, vitamins B, C, P and other nutrients, as well as trace elements such as calcium, phosphorus and iron. Therefore, eggplant is loved by many consumers. Let’s learn about the high-yield cultivation techniques of eggplant.

1. Planting season

Eggplant is divided into spring eggplant and autumn eggplant varieties. The seedling period of spring eggplant is relatively long (about 60-70 days). It is usually sown in November-December, transplanted in March-April of the following year, and harvested in May-June. The seedling period of autumn candela is relatively short (about one month). It is usually sown in early June, transplanted in early July, and can be harvested in autumn.

2. Processing seeds

Dry the eggplant seeds in the sun for 2 days, then place them in 53-55 degree warm water and stir for 15 minutes for high temperature sterilization. Then soak the seeds in clean water at 28-30 degrees for 6-8 hours to soften the seed shell and allow the seeds to fully absorb water. Finally, rinse the seeds, wrap them with wet gauze, and place them in an environment of 28 degrees to keep warm, moisturize and germinate. When most of the seeds turn white, they can be sown and seedled.

3. Transplanting and planting management

7-10 days before transplanting the eggplant seedlings , the seedbed should be properly controlled in water, temperature and ventilation to improve the survival rate after transplanting. When the eggplant seedlings grow to 15-18 cm in height, have 6-8 leaves, a stem thickness of 0.5-0.8 cm, and flower buds appear, select healthy seedlings for transplanting. Before transplanting, water thoroughly, dig up the seedlings with soil, and remove sick and weak seedlings. Apply sufficient base fertilizer, 3,000 kg of farmyard manure or 200 kg of organic fertilizer , and 30-40 kg of potassium sulfate compound fertilizer per mu. If there are pests and diseases in the soil, you can spread thiamethoxam granules, carbendazim granules, etc. to treat it.

When transplanting, choose a cloudy or sunny afternoon to avoid dehydration of the seedlings. Dip the roots in microbial agents to prevent diseases. Be careful to avoid high temperature and strong light exposure within 2-3 days after planting eggplant, and avoid drastic temperature drops and continuous rain within 5-7 days. When transplanting, the temperature should not be lower than 15-20 degrees, and no Solanaceae crops have been planted within 1-2 years. Water the soil promptly after transplanting and cover the ground with mulch to keep the soil warm and moist and control weeds, pests and diseases. Newly planted eggplant seedlings can only be watered with clean water, not fertilizer water.

The planting density of eggplant seedlings can be based on a row spacing of 40 cm x 50 cm (or a row spacing of 50-60 cm and a plant spacing of 30-40 cm), with 1800-2000 seedlings per acre. It is recommended to adopt the ridge-forming and film-covering planting method.

4. Water and fertilizer management

Before planting eggplant, ensure that the base fertilizer is sufficient and the water is thoroughly watered. From the time the seedlings survive to the time they bud and bloom, as long as the soil moisture is moderate and the growth is normal, there is no need for frequent watering and topdressing. This is because the base fertilizer has sufficient nutrients and the eggplant does not require much water and fertilizer in the early stages of its growth. Excessive watering and fertilization may cause excessive growth of stems and leaves, affecting flower bud differentiation and fruiting. If the seedlings grow weakly, apply 3-5 kg ​​of urea per mu or spray urea water + potassium dihydrogen phosphate twice to improve growth potential.

When eggplant buds appear and 5-7 days before flowering, nutrients need to be supplemented to promote flowering and fruiting. At this time, you can apply 10-15 kg of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium balanced compound fertilizer per mu or 3-5 kg ​​of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium balanced water-soluble fertilizer per mu. After the first eggplant flower blooms, control the water appropriately to keep the soil moderately dry to help fruit setting.

When the first bunch of eggplant fruitlets are set and begin to swell, the field should be kept moist and the water supply should be sufficient and stable. Top dressing should be done 2-3 times to meet the eggplant's demand for water, fertilizer and nutrients for flowering and fruiting. At this time, you can combine watering with applying 15-20 kg of high-nitrogen or balanced compound fertilizer per mu (or flushing 5-6 kg of high-nitrogen or balanced nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and macro-element water-soluble fertilizer per mu). After that, apply high-potassium compound fertilizer or high-potassium macro-element water-soluble fertilizer once every 15 days or so until the eggplant fruits fully enter the color change and maturity period. Stop fertilizing 5-7 days before harvesting eggplant, and stop watering completely.

5. Leaf threshing management

When the eggplants are established and grow to 3-4 cm in size, remove the old yellow leaves in the middle and lower parts (leaves with yellow petioles) at any time. When picking leaves, you need to keep 2-3 green functional leaves under each eggplant fruitlet to produce nutrients. When picking leaves, do it in batches at times to avoid picking too many leaves at one time, so as not to weaken the overall growth and yield of eggplant.

6. Fruit thinning management

If the number of fruits on a single eggplant plant exceeds 6-7, it is necessary to thin the fruits out in time to prevent the plant from consuming too much nutrients and causing the fruits to fail to grow.

7. Scientific harvesting:

The best time to harvest eggplant is 25-30 days after flowering, or when the young fruit grows to 12-15 cm and the eye begins to turn from green to white.

The above is an introduction to the high-yield cultivation technology of eggplant. Growing a good eggplant is very important from seed selection, soil treatment, seed treatment to later transplanting and planting, field management, etc.