What are the environmental requirements for eggplant? Learn it all in one article
Eggplant is an upright, branching herbaceous plant of the Solanaceae family, relatively tall, around 0.8-1 m. Eggplant is rich in nutrients such as protein, vitamins and various trace elements. Eating eggplant has effects such as lowering high blood lipids and anti-aging, and it has a wide planting area in our country. So what environmental requirements are there for growing eggplant? Below, the editor brings you the environmental requirements for eggplant, let's take a look!
1. Soil
Eggplant is suited to growing in soil that is fertile, loose and thick, with normal drainage and irrigation and strong water and fertilizer retention. In addition, the growth of eggplant requires a relatively large amount of nitrogen fertilizer. If nitrogen is deficient, flower bud differentiation of eggplant is hindered and the number of flowers is insufficient. Especially when eggplant reaches the flowering stage, if nitrogen is too little, plant growth slows down and short-styled flowers increase, resulting in a serious shortage of yield. Therefore, when choosing soil, we should also pay attention to the nitrogen content in the soil. If the content is too low, supplement nitrogen in time or increase the proportion of nitrogen in the base fertilizer.
2. Temperature
Eggplant is a typical summer crop and is not suitable for growing in low-temperature environments, having high temperature requirements. Although eggplant has strong heat tolerance, if it is in a high-temperature and high-humidity environment for a long time, rotten fruit and fruit drop are likely to occur. So we should adjust the temperature well according to the growth stage of eggplant and the humidity. After sowing, the temperature should be controlled at around 30 degrees to promote seed germination and emergence, and the temperature must not exceed the range of 11-40 degrees. Also, when sowing, try not to keep the temperature in a constant-temperature environment, as this is not conducive to seed germination and growth. Properly alternating between 30 degrees and 20 degrees promotes seed germination and ensures uniform and strong seedlings.
3. Light
Eggplant has a relatively large demand for light. During the growth and development of eggplant, ensuring sufficient light is conducive to photosynthesis, increases the accumulation of dry matter in the plant, promotes plant growth, and enhances the quality of eggplant fruit. Conversely, photosynthesis declines, assimilation is insufficient, plant growth becomes poor, and color change is hindered, which not only reduces yield but also lowers the commercial value of eggplant. Moreover, changes in light affect flower bud differentiation of eggplant. With insufficient light, flower bud differentiation is clearly inadequate and long-styled flowers decrease. Therefore, during the growth period of eggplant, especially during flower bud differentiation and the seedling stage, sufficient light must be ensured.
4. Water
Eggplant plants are relatively dense with many branches and leaves and high yield, so they have a large water demand. Throughout the entire growth period of eggplant, the soil water content should be kept at at least around 70%, and the humidity should also be maintained at 75%, but each different growth stage of eggplant has different water requirements. For example, during the seedling stage, the soil should be kept in a moist state at all times while other environmental conditions are suitable. Sufficient water can ensure normal growth of seedlings, promote flower bud differentiation, and improve flower quality. Therefore, during planting, the water demand of eggplant must be met to avoid affecting eggplant growth.
It should be noted that soil that is too closed off will seriously hinder the growth of eggplant, so we must prevent the soil from being too wet. If it is too wet, root rot and decay are likely to occur. Do not water too much, and pay attention to drainage on rainy days. The main watering method is furrow irrigation to ensure a certain amount of oxygen in the soil. That is all for today's introduction. This article is for reference only. Thank you for reading and supporting!