How to Improve the Fruit-Setting Rate of Eggplant? A Detailed Guide to the Latest Methods
Eggplant is a plant in the genus Solanum of the nightshade family (Solanaceae). At present, there are quite a few eggplant varieties, such as red eggplant, black eggplant, purple eggplant and green eggplant. It is a common vegetable in our daily life and also a favorite vegetable for many people. So when we grow eggplant, how do we improve the fruit-setting rate of eggplant? Let's learn about it together.
1. Pinching treatment
The fruit-setting pattern of eggplant is generally that each branch fork sets one fruit, which means that the more branch forks there are, the higher the fruit-setting rate of the eggplant will be. Based on this fruit-setting pattern of eggplant, after transplanting we should promptly pinch the growing tips of the eggplant plants to promote the growth of new branches, and then after the new branches grow, continue with the next round of pinching treatment measures. The purpose of doing this is to promote branching, thereby increasing the fruit-setting rate.
2. Promote the weak and control the vigorous
If the eggplant plants are growing weakly, then without the influence of other external conditions, their natural fruit drop is also especially serious. Of course, this does not mean that the better the eggplant plants grow, the higher their fruit-setting rate will be. In order to maintain the normal growth of eggplant plants and reduce flower and fruit drop, we need to reasonably promote the growth of weak plants and reduce the growth of overly vigorous plants, so as to improve the fruit-setting rate of eggplant. Generally speaking, this goal is achieved through fertilizer and water management, applying more fertilizer to weak seedlings and balanced fertilization to overly vigorous seedlings.
3. Artificial pollination
Using artificial pollination to achieve the effect of improving the fruit-setting rate of eggplant is mainly a common method used for eggplant grown in protected cultivation. Eggplant flowers generally open at six in the morning, and the period from six to eight o'clock is not suitable for pollination. Pollination is generally carried out after eight o'clock, and the best pollination time is from eight to ten o'clock, when the pollination success rate is the highest and the natural fruit-setting rate is also higher.
4. Hormone treatment
Using hormones to achieve the effect of improving the fruit-setting rate of eggplant is a method currently adopted by many large-scale planting bases. Using hormones to improve the fruit-setting rate of eggplant is very simple, and the success rate of fruit setting is also extremely high. At the same time, the yield of eggplant is also very good, except that it still has a certain impact on quality. Commonly used hormones include 20 ppm tomato fruit-setting hormone (4-CPA) and 30-40 ppm 2,4-D. Both hormones are used during the flowering period to prevent flower and fruit drop, thereby improving the fruit-setting rate of eggplant.
5. Pest and disease control
Pests and diseases also have a great impact on the fruit-setting rate of eggplant. Among them, the main ones are the harm to eggplant caused by Verticillium wilt, red spider mites and aphids, so we must make sufficient preventive preparations. Generally, before sowing, the eggplant seeds need to be treated, for example, soaking the seeds in New High-Lipid Film for 1 hour, or soaking the seeds in 55°C warm water for 15 minutes. Of course, during the fruit-setting period of eggplant, pest and disease control measures should also be carried out well, and targeted pesticides should be selected for control, so as to achieve the purpose of preserving flowers and fruits.
The above are several methods for improving the fruit-setting rate of eggplant that I want to introduce to you today. I hope they can help everyone. Moreover, improving the fruit-setting rate of eggplant is also the key to increasing eggplant yield. If you are interested in growing eggplant, you can leave a message for me for consultation.