How to manage eggplants for high yields? Practical growing and management tips

Eggplant is a common vegetable in China, and it is grown in many regions. To achieve high eggplant yields, you need to do a good job with basic management tasks such as water and fertilizer and pest and disease control. So how do you manage eggplants for high yields?

1. Topdressing and watering

After eggplants are successfully established, fully decomposed farmyard manure should be applied as a topdressing immediately, with the amount depending on the planting area, or 20 jin of compound fertilizer applied per hole. When the eggplant begins to swell and is in the early swelling stage, 1450-1550 kg of farmyard manure should be applied as a topdressing, or 30 jin of compound fertilizer per hole. Finally, at the fruit ripening stage, 1950-2050 kg of farmyard manure or 40 jin of compound fertilizer should be applied as a topdressing. Eggplants also have a high water requirement, and each stage needs a large amount of water. Whether during the sepal stage, the stem-strengthening stage, or the final harvest stage, about 3 days before harvest, water should be flushed once to facilitate fruit swelling and make the peel bright and glossy.

2. Pruning and shoot removal

Eggplant flowering and fruiting at each stage follows a very strong pattern, so generally the branches at each layer should be retained. Using the open-center pruning method, keep the branches growing on the opposite fork slant or horizontally and cut off all the rest. After the young eggplants have all set firmly, all the newly sprouted buds that grow afterward should also be completely removed. The same applies after flowering: regularly pinch off the growing tips of the eggplants. This helps the eggplant absorb nutrients and is more conducive to its normal growth and development.

3. Disease and pest control

Summer and autumn happen to be the peak period for pests and diseases. At this time, pests and diseases must be strictly guarded against. Combined with intertillage, weed the soil and mound it up. At least two intertillages are needed to eliminate the weeds completely. When pests and diseases such as cotton blight and eggplant borer are severe, they can cause eggplant yield reduction or even total crop loss, making the crop lose its commercial value. Therefore, a series of pesticides can be used to prevent and treat pests and diseases, but application should be stopped one week before harvest to prevent pesticide residues from harming human health.