Analysis of the Latest Causes of Poor Coloration in Eggplant
Eggplant is mainly divided into two colors, dark purple and green. Whether the skin of the eggplant is fully colored determines the quality and sales of the eggplant, but in fact, during the growing process, dark purple eggplants can easily end up with poor coloration, with dark purple and green meeting on the skin. So what exactly causes poor coloration in eggplant? Details are as follows.
1. Temperature
It may be caused by too low a temperature, especially when the temperature drops sharply in the latter half of the night, which prevents the lycopene in the eggplant from converting, and the eggplant will then show poor coloration. Eggplant is a crop that prefers relatively high temperatures. During the coloration stage of the eggplant, the most suitable temperature is around 25 degrees, and this temperature is the optimal temperature for lycopene conversion in eggplant. The most suitable daytime temperature for eggplant is around 28 degrees, and at night the temperature also needs to be kept at around 20 degrees. Therefore, at night the temperature in the greenhouse must be well controlled, and on low-temperature days the temperature must also be kept suitable.
2. Light
Eggplant needs a large amount of light during its growing process and is a vegetable that depends fairly heavily on light. If the light duration required by eggplant is not reached during the growing process, the eggplant plants will be weak, yield will decline, and it will be difficult to form pigments, so the fruit color will be insufficiently colored and produce off-colors. Moreover, if there is weak light, rainy weather, and malnutrition at the same time, the phenomenon of eggplant turning white will worsen. Therefore, inside the greenhouse, not only must the temperature be adjusted well, but sufficient light must also be provided for the eggplant. Properly removing old flowers and leaves and maintaining the light transmittance of the greenhouse can also help prevent it.
3. Water
Eggplant is a crop with lush and large leaves, and one plant can bear multiple fruits, so its water demand is also relatively large. However, the water requirements differ at different stages of eggplant growth. When the eggplant has just produced young fruits, it needs relatively little water. As the eggplant grows from small to large, its water demand increases, and since eggplant is a multi-harvest crop, the period before and after harvesting is also a stage with a relatively large water demand. If there is a lack of water, the eggplant becomes shriveled and incompletely colored, resulting in incomplete coloration. However, if the air humidity becomes too high, it can easily trigger diseases such as bacterial wilt.
4. Fertilizer
The fertilizer here mainly refers to nitrogen fertilizer. Many people, in order to increase eggplant yield and achieve high production, continuously apply nitrogen fertilizer. However, if nitrogen fertilizer is excessive, nutrients are in surplus, and growth is too vigorous, making it difficult for the eggplant to color. Especially at the stage when the eggplant is close to maturity, excessive nitrogen fertilizer will cause it to grow leggy, causing the leaves to shade one another, affecting eggplant maturity and indirectly leading to poor coloration in the eggplant.
The above four points are the reasons summarized by the editor for why eggplant has poor coloration. Poor coloration in eggplant not only affects its appearance but also leads to a decline in eggplant yield and quality. So if everyone encounters this problem, I hope this article by the editor can be helpful to everyone.