What Causes Stiff Fruit in Eggplants? Detailed Explanation of Prevention and Control Methods
We are all familiar with eggplants; they are one of the common fruits and vegetables in our daily lives and are widely grown throughout the country. However, as the planting area of eggplants expands, the phenomenon of stiff fruit in eggplants has become increasingly common and even more serious, causing great losses to farmers and hindering the development of the eggplant planting industry. So what causes stiff fruit in eggplants? And how should it be prevented and controlled? Let's take a look together with Qinong Net.
1. Planting environment
During the seedling stage of eggplants, if they encounter an environment of high temperature and high humidity with insufficient light, it will cause slow plant growth and can also easily lead to thin and weak flower stalks and short styles, resulting in weak plant growth and poor development, with insufficient nutrients to support flowering and fruiting, and the fruit produced is also prone to stiff fruit.
Prevention and control methods: Throughout the entire growth process of eggplants, temperature must be well controlled. Generally, the daytime temperature should be below 30 degrees, and should not exceed a high temperature of 35 degrees, while the nighttime temperature should be around 15-20 degrees, and must not be lower than 14 degrees. Especially before and after flowering, if encountering rainy weather, light intensity can be increased, and drainage should be carried out promptly to prevent waterlogging.
2. Insufficient water
During the fruiting stage, eggplants have a relatively high demand for water. If there is drought and water shortage at this time, with lower temperatures, poor seedling recovery will cause poor plant growth, which also provides favorable conditions for stiff fruit later on.
Prevention and control methods: During the fruiting stage of eggplants, watering should be done promptly and in appropriate amounts, but excessive watering should be avoided to prevent excessive soil water accumulation that could cause root growth problems. Watering must be even and thorough, and ventilation should be strengthened after watering. During rainy weather, drainage should be carried out promptly.
3. Improper fertilization
During the planting process, if nitrogen fertilizer is excessively applied without restraint, it will cause nutrient excess in the plant due to nitrogen, and the probability of stiff fruit occurring is relatively high. In addition, excessive application of potassium fertilizer will cause the plant to grow excessively, while nutrients are not transported to the fruit, resulting in insufficient nutrients in the fruit and causing stiff fruit.
Prevention and control methods: When fertilizing, correct fertilization techniques must be mastered. Choose fully decomposed organic fertilizer as base fertilizer, and the base fertilizer must be applied sufficiently. When applying supplementary fertilizer, pay attention to the reasonable combined application of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium fertilizers. In addition, attention should also be paid to trace elements such as calcium. If a small amount of stiff fruit occurs, foliar fertilizer can be sprayed to promote plant growth and reduce the number of stiff fruits.
4. Impact of chemicals
Some farmers, in order to increase fruit set rate and raise yield during planting, often use chemical hormones to increase fruit set rate. Although the fruit set rate increases, the plant cannot supply enough nutrients for fruit growth and development, forming stiff fruit. In addition, excessive dosage and high concentration of fruit-setting and fruit-preserving agents and anti-drop agents can also lead to the occurrence of stiff fruit.
Prevention and control methods: Use these chemicals correctly, and avoid excessive or overly concentrated application. When stiff fruit is found, promptly remove old leaves and stiff fruits to avoid nutrient consumption and reduce the number of stiff fruits.
The above are the causes of stiff fruit in eggplants and prevention and control methods brought to you by Qinong Net. We hope it can help you. To learn more about eggplants, please stay tuned to Qinong Net.