How to Germinate Eggplant Seeds? A Detailed Guide to Practical Methods

Eggplant is one of the vegetables we commonly eat, so have you ever seen eggplant seeds? Many people will say they have not, but actually anyone who has eaten eggplant has seen eggplant seeds. When you cut an eggplant open, there are some small gray seeds inside, and these small seeds are the eggplant seeds. So how can eggplant seeds be made to germinate?

Methods for Germinating Eggplant Seeds

1. Seed treatment

First remove all impurities from the seeds, soak them in 25°C warm water for 30 minutes, then rub and wash them several times to remove the pectin substances attached to the seed coat. After cleaning them thoroughly, scald the seeds.

2. High-temperature scalding

First moisten the treated seeds with a little cold water, then add hot water at about 90°C so that the water temperature reaches 75°C, and maintain it for 5 minutes (add more hot water when the temperature drops). Pour in the hot water while stirring quickly to avoid scalding the seeds, until the water temperature drops to 30°C, then place them in a greenhouse to continue soaking. High-temperature scalding can quickly soften the seed coat, increase cracks, and promote the respiration of embryo cells.

3. Alternating-temperature germination

Alternating-temperature germination can make seeds sprout earlier, and the sprouts will be thick and uniform. Alternate every day and night with 16 hours at 30°C and 8 hours at 20°C. Soak the seeds for 8 hours (including the time for rubbing, washing and scalding), then drain them, spread them on gauze to air-dry for 8-12 hours, then soak them again for 4-6 hours, then spread them out to air-dry again for 8-12 hours, until they feel damp and cool but not sticky to the touch, and only then can germination begin. This process allows water to slowly penetrate into the seeds and prevents the seed coat from absorbing too much water and affecting air permeability. It can fully meet the seeds' needs for water and oxygen during germination. In particular, the last air-drying of the seeds can make the water film inside the seeds disappear and increase air permeability. Turn the seeds once every 3-4 hours to facilitate air exchange and even heating. Do not wash them too often. Generally, there is no need to wash them in the first two days. On the third day (when the seeds begin to sprout), they can be washed once. After washing, spread them out to air-dry for 4-6 hours, then continue germination.

4. Chemical soaking

(1) After the soaked seeds return to room temperature, treat them with 10% trisodium phosphate for 20 minutes to control TMV virus.

(2) Soak the seeds for 1 hour in 0.1% carbendazim active ingredient plus 0.1% thiophanate-methyl, then soak them in clean water, and germinate them after 3 hours. This eliminates the pathogen of eggplant verticillium wilt.

(3) If warm-water soaking has not been carried out, use a 300-fold solution of 40% formalin and soak the seeds for 15 minutes to control eggplant brown spot disease.

How to Sow

1. Seedbed preparation: The bed soil should be field soil that has not been used to grow solanaceous fruits. After sieving, make a seedbed 1.2 m wide, 5-6 m long, and 10 cm thick. Mix 1 kg of potassium dihydrogen phosphate into the soil of each seedbed and mix evenly. The seedbed is required to be loose on top and firm below, level and without clods, and all bed soil must be sieved. After preparation, water heavily to lower the ground temperature and favor seed germination.

2. Chemical treatment: The chemicals used on the seedbed are 50% carbendazim wettable powder and 50% DT fungicide. Prepare them at 10 g per sq m and mix evenly with 5 kg of dry fine soil for later use.

3. Sowing: Once the soaked and air-dried seeds are ready, spread them evenly on the seedbed. Before spreading, scatter 1/3 of the prepared chemical soil on the seedbed, then scatter the seeds. After the seeds are all scattered, first cover the seeds with the remaining 2/3 of the chemical soil, then cover with 1-1.2 cm of sieved fine soil, and immediately cover with plastic film.

4. Management after sowing: Keep it at 25-30°C during the day and 16-20°C at night. When the temperature is high, provide shade. Old agricultural film can be placed over bamboo arches, but it can only cover the top, and the surroundings should be ventilated and let in light. It is best to use a shade net, which both shades and prevents insects, with good results.

Management after Pricking Out

1. Management of temperature and light. Set up small arched frames over the bed surface to raise the temperature, restore the root growth of eggplant seedlings as quickly as possible, and promote recovery after transplanting. During the recovery period after pricking out, provide appropriate shade at noon; after recovery, the seedlings should be exposed to more light, that is, uncover the film during the day and cover it again at night. Generally, growth can recover in 5-7 days. The flower bud differentiation of eggplant seedlings occurs at the 2-leaf 1-heart stage. During the differentiation period, in order to increase female flowers and lower the flowering node, the temperature should be adjusted to about 27°C during the day and about 20°C at night. If this period is under low-temperature conditions, flower bud differentiation will be delayed. When it grows to the 4-leaf stage, flower bud differentiation is complete, and the management of temperature and humidity returns to normal.

2. Watering the seedbed. Neither water too much nor control water excessively. When the surface soil is already dry and the seedlings show slight wilting at noon, water appropriately on a sunny morning. Under normal seedling growth, the principle is to keep the bed surface alternately dry and moist.

Fertilization Management

If the bed soil has sufficient organic fertilizer and the seedlings grow normally, generally no additional fertilizer is needed. By the mature seedling stage, if the seedlings are found to be pale green and thin and weak, apply quick-acting chemical fertilizer appropriately along with watering, that is, dissolve potassium dihydrogen phosphate and urea in warm water at a 1:1 ratio to make a 0.5% solution, spray it with a watering can, and then spray once more with clean water to prevent burning the leaves. ④ Hardening off. Once a certain seedling age is reached, they can be transplanted. One week before planting, lower the temperature and humidity to harden the seedlings. For early spring seedling raising, keep it at 15°C-20°C during the day and 10°C-5°C at night. For summer and autumn seedling raising, gradually remove the shade net and control water appropriately.

Now everyone knows how to make eggplant seeds germinate and grow, right! In fact, after germination, they must also be sown in time, otherwise the survival rate will not be high! And later management must also be strengthened, with good pest and disease control. When the eggplants mature in summer, they will be covered with small, lovely eggplants, and the sense of satisfaction will be overwhelming!