The effect of shoot training on yield, fruit quality and leaf chemical composition of eggplant in greenhouse cultivation

Abstract

The aim of the investigations was to determine the best method of eggplant (Solanum melongena L.) pruning in greenhouse production. The investigations were carried out in 1999 -2001 in the experimental greenhouse of the University of Agriculture in Krakow, Poland. The 'Tania F 1 ' hybrid was used in the early spring-summer production in a heated greenhouse. Plants were pruned to one or two shoots. In the case of two-shoot plants, the second shoot was led out from the first, third, sixth and ninth node. The intense pruning positively affected the PAR conditions in the plant profile. The most effective fruit setting was observed in the intensely pruned plants. The greatest number of fruits was set at the lowest nodes. Pruning affected the total but not marketable yield of fruits. Two-shoot plants with the second shoot led out from the sixth node produced the greatest fruits, both in early and total yield. A high level of reducing sugar was found in the fruits of Eggplant pruning 4 moderately pruned plants. Fruits of two-shoot plants with the second shoot led out from the sixth node and pruned to one shoot contained the greatest level of L-ascorbic acid. The greatest levels of reducing sugar and starch were found in the leaves of moderately pruned plants, having the best PAR conditions. The method of pruning slightly affected the level of pigments in the eggplant leaves.

Agricultural practices, biology and quality of eggplant cultivated in Central Europe. A review

“…Želisková and Jezdinský (2015) determined the chemical composition of six eggplant cultivars in the Czech Republic and noted contents of 6.8-9.4 g/100 g FW DW, 0.5 to 3.7 mg/100 g FW L-ascorbic acid and 11.6 to 17.8 g/100 g DW insoluble fibre. These values are comparable to those of eggplants grown in warmer climates, in the open field or under heated greenhouses (Ambroszczyk et al 2008b;Raigón et al 2008).…”

“…Among recent reports, Kowalska (2003Kowalska ( , 2008, Buczkowska (2010) and Michałojć and Buczkowska (2008 conducted comprehensive studies to develop farming technologies for growing eggplants under unheated tunnels and to expand the knowledge regarding the pollination biology of this species. Cebula (2003) and Ambroszczyk et al (2007Ambroszczyk et al ( , 2008aAmbroszczyk et al ( , 2008b developed optimal methods of eggplant pruning in greenhouse cultivation and specified the effects of pruning on vegetative plant growth as well as on fruit yield and quality. Markiewicz and Golcz (2007) and Markiewicz et al (2008) evaluated the effects of thermal conditions, substrate type and plant nutritional status on eggplant yield.…”

Efecto de la densidad de siembra sobre el rendimiento y calidad de los frutos de dos genotipos de berenjena (Solanum melongena L.) cultivados en invernadero en Costa Rica

“…Los resultados obtenidos para la variable número de frutos por planta en el presente ensayo son similares a los informados por otros investigadores en berenjena cultivada a campo abierto (entre 9,5 y 27,0 frutos/planta) [9], [19], pero son superiores a los reportados por otros investigadores en berenjena cultivada tanto a campo abierto (entre 4,3 y 13,0 frutos/planta) [22], [27], [21], [30], como en invernadero (entre 3,19 y 17,68 frutos/planta) [15], [16], [18], [24], [25].…”

“…Los resultados obtenidos en la presente investigación son similares a los obtenidos por otras en el cultivo de berenjena, tanto a campo abierto (entre 8,6 y 26,0 frutos/m 2 ) [9], [22], como en invernadero (entre 16,35 y 70,80 frutos/m 2 ) [15], [16], [24], pero son inferiores a los obtenidos por dos más, tanto a campo abierto (entre 27,8 y 37,0 frutos/m 2 ) [27], [19], como en invernadero (entre 24,06 y 26,70 frutos/m 2 ) [18], [25], y son superiores a los encontrados a campo abierto por una última (entre 5,68 y 7,52 frutos/m 2 ) [30].…”

“…Con respecto al rendimiento de rechazo, el genotipo JMX-292 produce más (1,35 kg/planta) que el JMX-1099, debido al menor peso promedio del fruto, y no se presentaron diferencias entre densidades. Los resultados obtenidos para esta variable son similares a los encontrados por otros autores en berenjena cultivada a campo abierto (entre 4,85 y 7,93 kg/planta de producción comercial) [9] y en invernadero (entre 1,56 y 15,28 kg/planta) [28], [31], pero inferiores a los encontrados por otro investigador (9,5 kg/planta a campo abierto y 13,1 kg/planta en invernadero) [32], y superiores a los hallados por trece investigadores más, tanto a campo abierto (entre 0,20 y 3,71 kg/planta) [17], [22], [33], [27], [20], [10], [31], [34], [21], como en invernadero (entre 0,44 y 3,74 kg/planta) [18], [24], [25], [26].…”