Sliced eggplant on wood reducing board. [Getty Images]
Eggplant is a member of the Solanaceae household, which incorporates tomato, potato, black nightshade, candy pepper and chilli. It’s also generally known as brinjal or aubergine.
It’s a perennial crop, with the unripe fruit is consumed as a cooked vegetable. It’s low in energy and fat and a very good supply of nutritional vitamins and minerals.
Clement Mwangi, who vegetation eggplants on smallscale in Kiambu County, outlines what one must do from planting to harvesting. Eggplant varieties in Kenya embrace Black Magnificence, Lengthy Purple, Florida Excessive Bush and Ravaya.
Ecological circumstances
The required temperature ranges between 25 and 35 levels celsius. The crop does not tolerate frost but can withstand drought and extreme rainfall. It performs nicely in well-drained, sandy loam soils with a pH of between six and 7. The soil must be free from vegetation equivalent to tomatoes, peppers or Irish potatoes for the previous three years to keep away from potential soil-borne illnesses and nematode issues.
Elevating seedlings
Eggplant could be established by the nursery or instantly seeded. The seed fee is about 200 grams per acre. Put together a seedbed of 1 metre in width and a handy size. Seeds must be sown thinly on rows spaced at 15 cm aside. The shade is erected above the nursery to guard younger seedlings, and manure is utilized at a fee of three to 5 kilograms per sq. metre. “Water the nursery repeatedly. Nevertheless, two weeks earlier than transplanting, scale back the frequency of watering and steadily expose the seedlings to daylight to harden them,” advises Mr Mwangi. The seedbed must be freed from weeds and bugs.
Transplanting
Seedlings are transplanted three to 4 weeks after sowing, at which the peak of the seedling is about 10cm to 15cm. It’s endorsed that transplanting must be accomplished both early within the morning or late within the night. The spacing ranges from 60cm to 75cm (between rows) by 40cm-60cm (between seedlings) relying on the range.
Fertiliser
The eggplant crop must be fertilised with natural and inorganic fertilisers to provide excessive yields. High-dressing fertiliser equivalent to CAN must be utilized in two splits at 40kg and 80kg per acre at 4 and eight weeks after transplanting. “Insufficient top-dressing can lead to physiological problems equivalent to hole cavities and poor style in fruits because of potassium deficiency, blossom-end rot because of an imbalance between Nitrogen, Calcium and soil moisture,” says Mr Mwangi.
Pests and illnesses
The foremost pests to look out for are shoot and fruit borer, Epilachna beetle, tobacco whitefly, gall midge, root-knot nematode, spider mite, aphids. Main illnesses affecting the eggplant are Alternaria blight, late blight, fusarium wilt and bacterial wilt.
Harvest
The eggplant maturity begins at 60-90 days after transplanting, relying on the range. Harvest immature fruits earlier than seeds start to enlarge and harden. The fruits ought to have a shiny shiny look. “Watch out as a result of over-mature fruits are bitter. Yields could range from 8,000kg to 10,000kg per acre, relying on the range and crop husbandry,” says Mr Mwangi. A secateur or every other appropriate software is used to reap fruits. When selecting, a 2.5cm-5cm fruit stalk is left connected to the fruit. Fruits must be harvested early within the morning when it’s cool because the fruit temperature is low. Hold the harvested fruit in a cool, shaded and ventilated space so as to minimise warmth acquire.
Market
Mr Mwangi sells a kilo of eggplant domestically at Sh110 by social media and referrals. “The export market can also be obtainable for individuals who wish to increase their market base, in fact after fulfilling the necessities,” he notes.
