What are the causes of malformed eggplant fruit and the control methods?
When growing eggplant, malformed fruit often appears, and malformed fruit seriously affects eggplant quality and yield. Some malformed fruits are small with hard flesh, have no commercial value or edible value at all, and have a major impact on economic returns. So what causes malformed eggplant fruit? Let's take a look together.
1. Excess fertilizer and water
The main cause of malformed eggplant fruit is abnormal flower organ development. When the flowering period encounters low temperatures or excessive watering and fertilizing, the plant becomes over-nourished, causing vigorous cell division, which leads to malformed fruits such as twin eggplants and flat eggplants. When the plant grows too vigorously, the stems and leaves take up all the assimilates, resulting in insufficient nutrition for the fruit and the appearance of stiff fruit and malformed fruit.
Control method: During the flowering and fruiting period of the plant, take care not to apply excessive irrigation and fertilizer, so as to avoid excessive vegetative growth. For vigorously growing plants, take measures to control vigorous growth so that the stems and leaves will not take up the assimilates, ensuring normal fruit growth and development.
2. Improper watering
In the late stage of fruit development, if drought conditions occur and the plant transports insufficient water to the fruit, the fruit will stop expanding and the fruit surface will lose its luster. However, if drought occurs during expansion and then flood irrigation is used later, the fruit will expand rapidly, but the skin cannot keep up with the expansion speed of the flesh, resulting in fruit cracking.
Control method: Water management is extremely important during fruit expansion. Pay attention to weather changes, and water promptly during drought, but avoid flood irrigation; drip irrigation with small water droplets is preferable.
3. Improper use of hormones
During greenhouse cultivation in winter and spring, because temperatures are lower and light is insufficient, flower and fruit drop is relatively serious, so in production, the method of dipping flowers in hormones is often used to reduce flower and fruit drop and increase the fruit-setting rate. However, if the hormone concentration is too high or it is used during high temperatures, it will cause poor fruit growth and the appearance of malformed fruit.
Control method: Use hormones reasonably and control the concentration well. In addition, hormones must never be used at high temperatures.
The above is an introduction to the causes of malformed eggplant fruit and the control methods. We hope it can help you. If you want to learn more related knowledge, please stay tuned to us.