What causes stiff fruit in eggplants?
What causes stiff fruit in eggplants? An introduction to the symptoms of stiff fruit in eggplants: after fruit set, the fruit stops expanding, the top surface of the fruit becomes sunken, and the fruit hardens and loses its edible value; or the fruit barely expands, but long-shaped fruit becomes round fruit, and round fruit forms "black-skinned fruit" because half of it does not expand. The above are collectively called stiff fruit. Most stiff fruit have...
What causes stiff fruit in eggplants? An introduction
Symptoms of stiff fruit in eggplants
After fruit set, the fruit stops expanding, the top surface of the fruit becomes sunken, and the fruit hardens and loses its edible value; or the fruit barely expands, but long-shaped fruit becomes round fruit, and round fruit forms "black-skinned fruit" because half of it does not expand. The above are collectively called stiff fruit. Most stiff fruit have no gloss on the skin, gaps inside the flesh, and basically no seeds; fruit that barely expands also clearly has few seeds.
Causes
1. During the seedling stage, exposure to high temperature, high humidity, insufficient light, or an unreasonable day-night temperature match will produce low-quality flowers with weak, thin stalks and short styles, and such flowers very easily form stiff fruit.
2. Drought and water shortage in the soil, lower temperatures, poor recovery after transplanting, and poor plant growth will also provide conditions for the occurrence of stiff fruit.
3. Damage from low and high temperatures: when eggplants encounter a sustained temperature below 17°C or above 35°C before flowering, sterile pollen or short-styled flowers will form, or pollen germination and pollen tube elongation will be poor, leading to incomplete pollination and fertilization, and stiff fruit may then form. Improper concentration, dosage, or timing of flower- and fruit-preserving agents, or poor plant growth, can also lead to the appearance of stiff fruit.
4. Malnutrition: when the plant is malnourished and the nutrients needed for fruit expansion are lacking, fruit development will also become abnormal.
Patterns of occurrence
1. Stiff fruit occurs to varying degrees during low-temperature periods; low temperature, high humidity, and scant light will make stiff fruit noticeably more numerous.
2. Stiff fruit easily occurs in the early stage of both protected and open-field cultivation.
3. Short-fruited varieties are more prone to stiff fruit than long-fruited varieties.
4. Excess nitrogen nutrition, especially too high a concentration of ammonium nitrogen, easily leads to stiff fruit. In addition, too much potassium and overly vigorous vegetative growth mean insufficient nutrients are transported to the fruit, and stiff fruit will also occur.
Preventive measures
1. Ensure the temperature conditions during seedling raising.
2. When planting in greenhouses, try as much as possible to create temperature and light conditions favorable for eggplant growth and development.
3. Correctly master the techniques for using flower- and fruit-preserving agents.
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