Sc i ence an d E ducati on A dm i n i strati on

US . $ epartm ent of A gri cu ltu re

TRA $ E NAME Sare used in this publ ication for the purpose ofprovid ingspecific i n formation . M en ti on ofa trade name does not cons titu te aguarantee or warranty of the produc t by the U. S . $ epartmen t ofAgricul ture or an endorsemen t by the $ epartmen t over o therp roducts no t men ti oned .

Th is publ ication is ava i lable from the Mayaguez Ins titute ofTropicalAgr i cul ture

,Science an d Education Adminis tra ti on ,

PO . Box 70,

Mayagi i ez ,PR . 00708 .

Other publ ications in th is seriesPart 1 . The Winged Bean .

Par t -2 . Okra .

Par t 3 . Chaya .

Part 4 . Sponge an d Bottle $ ourds .

Publ i shed by Agricul tural Research (Sou thern Region )Science an d Educat ion AdministrationU. S . $ epartmen t ofAgricul tureNew Orl eans

,La . 70153

March 1979

PREFACE

In the ho t,humid Tropics

,torrential rains during the monsoon

season create spec i al hazards for agriculture . Lands are muddied orflooded

,entrance to plan tings is res tricted ,

weeds grow vigorous ly ,chemicals appl ied arewashed from the plants , and fertil i zer is leachedfrom the soil . H igh water tabl es drive oxygen from the so il , d is easesthrive above and within the soil

,and many plan ts are un economical to

cul tivate . These cond itions make food product ion d i fficul t , and ag

ri cultural sk ills imperative .

$ uring tropical rainy seasons, the problem of producing highlynourishing food s till exists . For the most part , the solut ion is to selectappropriate species and varieti es and know how to grow and util izethem in both conven ti onal and unconvent ional ways .Tropical diets are often unbalanced not only becaus e of ign oran ce ofsound dietary principl es and because of food prejud i ces , but alsobecause of a lack of good species and varie ties . The Tropics areexceedingl y varied in th i s res pect

,but knowledge is i nadequateal

most everywhere . Furthermore,even when appropriate varie ties are

known , it is often d iff icul t to obtain seeds .

The purpose ofthis series ofbulletins is to furn ish information aboutvege tables that can be grown in the hot, humid Tropics . The vege tables covered are e ither not well known

,at l eas t with respect to some

us es , or not well d is tributed ,but are productive duringtropical rainy

seasons . The techniques recommended can be appl ied on a smallscale or with a low level of technology . S eed sources are s ugges tedwhen neces sary .

I l l

CONTENTS

Bo tanyTaxonomyOrigi n an d d istributionOrt h habi t and morphology$ en eti cs and breeding

V ar i e ti esRelated edible speciesCulti vati onC l imatic requ iremen tsSo i ls an d so il preparati onS eed in g and

,

transplan t i ngPostplan ti n g car

Pes ts an d d iseasesPos tharves t cons i derationsStorage and u sNutri t ional valueFu ture prospects and recommendationsL i tera ture ci ted

ILLUSTRATIONS

W i ld eggplan t, thorny w ith small fru itsMulti ple fru i t clusters of eggplan tV ariations in eggplan t fruitSolanum i n tegr ifolium ,

showing egg- shaped fruitsLarge

,fasc iate fruits of Solan um macrocarpon

Solanum g i lowi th ed i ble leaves and fruits

TA$LES

Special vari et ies of eggplan t2 . Solanum sp ecies used as vegetables in various parts of theTrop i cs

3 . Common d i s eas es of eggplan t in the TroplCS and sugges tedcon trol measures

4 . I nsects an d o ther pe s ts that attack eggplan t in the Tropics5 . Nutritional value of cooked eggplan t

V E $ E TA $ LE S

FOR TH E HOT ,

HUM I $ TR OPICS

Part 5 . E ggplan t,Solan ummelongena

By FRANKLI N $ . MARTIN and B E RNAR $ L . POLLACK I

INTRODUCTION

Eggplan t is a common vegetable in d lets throughout theTropics .For the mos t part , it is popular neither because of its taste ,

which isneu tral or even unpleasan t to some people , nor because of its nutriti on al value , which is only moderate , but because eggplant is relati Vely easy to grow an d is at tractive . $ arden eggplant , Solanummelongen a L . is the mos tpopular of the many species ofSolan um thatbear nonswee t , nonacid vege table- type fruits . The popularity of eggplan t and its use in varying the d ie t make eggplan t one of the mos timportant vegetables for the hot

,humid Trop ics .

$OTAN$

Taxonomy

Eggplan t belongs to the genus Solan um ,family S olanaceae

,a

large genus with species that extend over the Tropics and the Temperate Zone . In addition to S . melongen a ,

the eggplant of both temperate and tropical zones , several African and Indian species arealso called eggplants (see later ) . However , thes e o ther species prob

1Hort icu l tu ri s t , M ayaguez Ins t i tu te ofTropical Agricul ture,S cience and Education

Admin is tration , U S. $ epartmen t on’

ri culture , PO . Box 70 ,M ayaguez

,PR . 00708 ,

and hort icu ltu ris t , Cook Co llege , Ru tgers Un ive rs i ty , PO . Box 231,New B runswick ,

N .J . 08903 .

ably cons ti tu te only a small fraction of th e eggplan ts used ,except per

haps i n parts ofWes t Africa .

There is no evidence ofany d ifferen ti at ion of eggplant in to botanical subspecies . Practical clas s i fications have often been made forconven ience . In India

,Choudhury recogn izes the follow i n g va

ri eti es : i n sanum ,small - fruited prickly types;escu len tum ,

round oregg - shaped frui ts ; serpen ti n um ,

long,narrow fruits ; deperssum ,

dwarf, earl y varieties . However , all degrees of intermed iate types

occur . Even the primit ive varie ties are copied by numerou s smallfrui ted

,sp i n y types .

Probably the oldes t common name for eggplant i s brinjal , us ed inIndia

,and varied there inmany ways . In Spanish

,berenjen a , from the

Arabic,al berenjena,is the mos t common , and aubergine i s u sed in

Franc e . Berenjena means apples of love in Arabic . The name “

eg

plan t$ probably originated in reference to the firs t variet ie s in troduced in to Europe with wh ite

, egg- shaped fi‘

u i ts .

Ori g i n an d $ i stri bu ti on

Eggplan t is an ancient crop in India and mos t l i kely origin atedthere . Secondary cen ters

_of divers ity where eggplan t has been in tro

duced and has probably evolved include China an d poss ibly Afri ca .

Wi l d varie ties (small, much branched , with thorny fol iage and manysmall fru its ) are found wes t ofBengal , India (fi g .

Eggplan t was i n troduced i n to Chin a before the fifth cen tury andwas carri ed by Ch ines e trader s throughout S ou theas t As ia . Arabsin troduced eggplan t to Europe . The vegetable probably reachedSpain in the 13th cen tury . The Pers ians are thought to have taken it toAfrica .

Eggplant is now wi dely distributed i n theTemperate Zone andin the Tropics . Breeding for locally adapted varieties has resultedin a wide divers i ty of the germplasm . Hundreds of vari eties areknown in Ru s s i a . I n the Un i ted States , varieties of large , black ,pear - shaped fru i ts have been developed . Throughout the Mediterranean region and the Near East

,varieties are numerous and

diverse in morphology . In Europe,eggplan t is now produced i n

heated greenhouses . Eggplant occas i onally escapes from cultivation and tends to revert to sp i ny

,small - fru ited form s after several

generation s .

$ rowth H ab i t an d Morphology

Eggplant is an annual herb with a slight tendency towardsperen n i ali sm . In the Trop i cs

,the majori ty

'

of plants die during the

2 I tal ic numbers in paren the ses refe r to i tem s in L ite ra ture C i ted at the end of thispublica ti on .

F I$ URE 1 .— $ i ld eggplan t

,thorny with smal l fru its .

fi rs t year of growth,but death is almos t always associated with

disease . Cuttings can be made of healthy branches “and rooted toperpetuate a given plant for many years . Old plants , if cut back , willfrequently resprout and bear in a second year . Eggplant can therefore be thought of as a faculative annual .Eggplants vary greatly in form of growth . Whereas primitive

forms are often low and spreading,plants of good varieties in the

Tropics often reach 2 meters in height . A very large limb may be bentto the ground by the weight of the fruit

,but stems tend to be rigid .

Terminal and lateral branches are indeterminate in growth .

The foliage is often spiny . Spines can occur on the stems,petioles ,

leaves , pedicels , and calyces . These spines vary from short , deltoidal

F I$ URE 2 .

— M ul t iple fru i t clus ters of eggplan t .

pri ckles to lon g,n arrow

,sharp needles . In addit i on to spines

,the

foliage is covered $ i th a gray tomentum cons i st i ng of short,stel

late hairsThe root sys tem i s characterized by a strong , often branched tap

root and a deep,fibrou s root n etwork .

Leaves are alternate,s imple

,u sually large (up to 40 centimeters

in len gth) , an d i rregu larly lobed an d undulate along the margin . Thebase i s roun ded or cordate an d the . tip obtuse to acute .

Flowers are born e s in gly or in clu sters of up to seven . The fi rstflower i n each clu ster i s normal , and subsequent flowers often haveabnormal

,shortened stigmas

,or none at all . These flowers seldom

are fertile,although unusual varieties can be found bearing as man y

as three or four fru its i n a cluster (fi g . The flower is composed ofcomplete

,regu lar petals united i nto a rad i ate tube , lobed about

one - fourth of the dis tance ,with five to seven ‘

parti ally united calyxsegmen ts . Five or s ix s tamen s wi th short fi laments and relatively longanthers are grouped i n a column around a central style wi th sl i ghtlycapitate st i gma . Petals vary in color from white to dark v i olet . Theovary is u sually “

two- loculed .

As the fruit grows,the pedicel elongates , and the calyx develops

i nto a pers i stent fleshy structure . Fruits vary from long and

o ooooo

n u uu J. v

u

‘f ‘h M \j .~ A . s . s o J '<M I xf s 5 5 w h i t

F I$ URE 3 ,

— V ariations in eggplan t frui t .

serpentine to short and almost discoidal (fi g . Large fruits are oftensl ightly lobed because of the two or more locules . The coloring iscomplex . Fruits may be devoid of color (white) or green . Superim

posed on this color are many degrees of purple pigmentation . Thegreen and purple pigments may be distributed evenly

,or in blotches

,

streaks , or shoulders . The in ten s ity of the purple and probably the

F I$ URE 4 .—Solanum i n tegn foli um ,

showing egg- shaped fru its .

green is sometimes related to exposure to l i ght . The shaded areasunder the sepals are somet imes colored differen tly from the rest ofthe fru it . As the fru i t matures

,color chan ges to yellow or bronze .

The seeds are small,d i sco i dal

,smooth

,and l i ght brown .

$ eneti cs an d $ reed i ng

The chromosome number of the eggplant is 24,a common diploid

number in the Solan aceae . All varieties tes ted have been self—fertile .

Reports ofheterostyli c self- incompatibil ity in eggplant are based on a

F I$ URE 5 .

— Large , fasciate frui ts of Solanum macrocarpon .

false interpretation of the malformed flowers found in Solari um . Thisdevelopmental abnormality may result from a competition of flowersfor available nutrients, or a suppression of growth of the second andlater flowers by the firs t

.

Eggplant is normally self- pollinated . Self- pollination occurs without the interven tion of insects. Flowers attract some species of bees

,and these sometimes result in cros s - pollination . Rates of crosspollination from 6 to 20 percent have been reported Crosspollination does not occur between plantings separated by only50 meters .

Thus,the typical eggplant variety is a more or les s uniform

,

homozygous pure l ine bes t bred and improved by traditionalmethods . It withs tands inbreeding and pure - l ine selection .

The occurrence of hybrid vigor has been reported . This vigor isnot surpris ing

,for hybrids of carefully selected varieties can combine

the favorable characteris tics of the parents . Heteros is measured asthe improvement of yield over the parental mean yield has beenreported to be 80 to 100 percent i n a few cases

$ isease res istance is an important objective in the breeding ofnew varieties . Some of the princi pal diseases for which resistance isavailable are bacterial wilt (Pseudomon as) , leaf spot (A ltern ar i a) , andvI rus or mycoplasma attacks . In sects to which eggplants have beenreported res is tan t are“

the fruit borer , Leuci nodes orbon ali s,and

aphids Nematode res is tance (Meloi dogyn e spp . ) has been foundin S

‘

olan um si symbr ifoli um . A chief center for eggplant breeding isthe Indian Agricu ltural Research Institute

,New$ elhi

,India .

In Japan , the species S . i n tegrifoli um (fig . an Afr i can eggplant,

has been cros sed with the typical eggplant . This spec i es and therelated S . macrocarpon (fi g . 5) m ight be

“usefu l species for newcharacteristics for eggplant . Mostother species of Solan um cannot becro s sed with eggplan t .

I n India and in Wes t Africa,cons iderable studies of the

population genetics of eggplan t have been undertaken , including themode of i nher i tance of variou s characters and the possibil ities ofimprovement by breeding .

V ARIETIES

The varietie s of eggplan t arenumerous . A few special varietiesand their sources and characteristics are given in table 1 . Resistanceto bacterial wilt has been a principal breeding objective . Otherresistances are important in some local areas . Color

,s ize

,and shape

of the fruit vary according to local market preferences .

RELATED EDI$LE SPECIES

The authors e stimate that between 75 and 100 spec i es of Solan umare grown for the i r edible leaves or fruits . Many of these resembleeggplants in appearance and in usage . The most important speciesand a few facts are given in table 2 $see also Jardin This l ist doesnot include Sou th American species grown for their dessert - typefru it .The most importan t of the minor species is probably S .

i n tegr ifoli um (fi g. which exists as numerous wild and landvarieties . Th i s species has been cons iderably improved by selection

TABLE 1 .

— Speci al var i eti es of eggplan t

V ery large green fru its .Old

,s tandard

,large - fruited variety .

Early,hybrid .

Excellen t shape,hybrid .

Few seeds

O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

Bacterial wil t .

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Improvemen t of above .

Fruits i n clusters Bacterial wilt .Traditional variety .

Excellen t market type Phomopsis rot .Excellen t marke t type .

Excellen t market type Phomopsis rot .Bacterial wilt .

Traditional variety .

Tradit ional,excellen t for Tropics .

Traditional variety .

Large white frui ts .

Long,narrow fruit.

Large,ovate fruit.

Several fru itsper cluster .Long l ived

,excellen t yields

S triped .

a good prospect for wider introduction and testing . Both bittermb i tter forms are known

,and all are appreciated . S . g i lo (fig .

h its almost spherical fruits,is also an excellent vegetable . The

of these species are also eaten .

spite of its po i sonous characteristics , Solan umn i grum is grownTropics for its edible leaves as well as its ripe fruits . Thisorphic species exemplifies the problem with Solan um specieseral . They may be poi son ous, an d thei r poi son ous character

among races, wi th time, an d

.

wi th plan t part . Casualmentation with the edible and poisonous characteristics ofrm species cannot be recommended . Although many of itses are poisonous , the eggplant has never been shown to be1 1.

(Con ti n ued on page

Bacterial wilt .

F I$ URE 6 .— Solanum g i lo with edible leaves and frui ts .

CULTIV ATION

Cl imati c R equ i rem ents

Eggplant is a warm—season vegetable adapted for year round usein the Tropics

,and for the summer only in the Temperate Zone .

Eggplan t is more tolerant of hot night temperatures than tomato butis also produced in the Temperate Zone almost until first frost .Optimal day temperature has been given as 25° to 35° C ,

and optimal

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

plan ting to temperature of 4° to 6° C is said to stimulate germination .

The seedbeds must be protected from excess moisture and fromdry i ng out during th i s period . When the plants Show 2 or 3 leaves ,abou t 14 days after germ i n ation , they are usuallytransplanted to seedflats or beds , with about 8 to 10 cen timeters between plants . S ix toeight weeks after be ing transplanted

,they are ready for the field .

They should be exposed to ou tdoor conditions several days to hardenthem for field plantin g . Th i s conditioning should include graduallyincreased exposure to sunl i ght an d drying out.

In the Tropics , eggplan ts can be propagated by rooting of healthyshoots , eas ily done by plac i ng a pot of soil beneath the shoot whilest i ll attached to the plant . This technique is also good for the homegarden .

The well - plowed soi li

alr'

eady furrowed or formed into beds Shouldbe wetted several days in advance to avoid planting in dry so i l . Theplan ts are dis tribu ted along the l i ne of planting at the distancerequ ired an d planted wi th a short - handled hoe . Machines are alsoadapted to this proces s . As soon as pos s ible , a starter soluti on of 200mi ll i l i ters should be appl i ed to the new transplants . A completem i neral fert i l izer (such as 100 gram s potass ium nitrate and 200 gramsammonium phosphate per 100 l i ters) i s dissolved in water . The bedsare usually thoroughly i rri gated soon after planting . Wilti ng of then ew tran splan ts should be avoided .

In the Tropics , eggplan ts are frequently grafted to a vigorousSolan um speci es such as S . torvam. Nematodes are avoided in th i sfashion

,an d plan ts can produce for a year or more .

Postplan ting Care

Newly es tablished plan t i ngs n eed care to insure good product i on .

$oung plant i ngs are often sprayed wi th appropri ate , approvedchemicals to avoid fungi an d to control insects . Such sprays shouldnot be used before problem s appear . Also , because of vari ationsfrom country to country i n laws governing the use of pestici des ,local authorities shou ld be consulted for information on chem icalcon trol techn i ques and on curren t , local laws affect i n g the use ofpes ticides and other chem i cal - control measures . Irr i gation by spri nkler

,by furrow

,or by hand shou ld be sufficient .

Weed con trol should be shallow to avoid damage to eggplantroots . Weeds should never be allowed to get out of control , and theideal is to never permit weeds to seed in cultivated fields . Ti llageshould n ot be done more often than necessary to destroy weeds .Approved herbicides may be available in some areas for weed controlof eggplants . Where labor is cheap ,

tillage between the rows withshallow plows pulled by animals and by hoe between the plants isreasonable . Eggplants can be mulched to reduce moisture los s .

measures

Pseudomon as solan acearum $ ilting and yel lowing Resistant varieties,clear

beginning below . Sap culture,rotation .

a yellowish color .i s rot Phomopsi s vexan s S tem

,leaf

,and fruit

($ iaporthe) . spots and cankers .

$ loeospor iummelongen ae $ellow of fruit,sun tan

spots .

V erti ci lli um spp . $ i l t,lower leaves ,

yellow—brown vascularti s sue .

A mycoplasm Small leaves

A viru s Mosaic, on leav

ed for u se in the United S tates . Because con trol practicescoun try to coun try

,local regu lations and suggested con trol practices should be sought in every

nous e thylenebis $dithiocarbamate$.thylen eb i s $dithiocarbamate$.

dried plant materials or thin black polyethylene sheets areal. Mulches are also effective in reducing weed problems .zli ti on al fertilizer given during growth will vary according tomd i ti on s. Eggplants are heavy feeders

,and they benefit. from

ssing with a mineral fertil izer two or three times after.g .

der favorable conditions,eggplants in the field will begin to

and fruit 6 to 8 weeks after transplanting . Although fruits can(I even when only one - fourth of their potential s ize

,they

be large but unripe (two - thirds to three - fourths full s ize) fort and marketing . Harvesting should be done about once aA good yield is 25 to 50 tonnes per hectare .

eggplant planting is maintained as long as it is economical toPart of the field may be rejuvenated by cutting back healthylucti ve plants and by stimulating new growth with fertilizers .

TS AND DISEASES

gplan t is fairly trouble free in the Tropics , but pests andas do occur on all plants . Some of the diseases are given in tablemost important diseases in most areas are bacterial wilt and

15

Resistan t variet ies,long

rotations, man eb

2 orzineb .

°

Use healthier seedremove and des troyinfected frui t andleaves .Resis tan t Varieties

,long

rotation,soil fumiga

t ion with ethylenedibromide .

Root dip with approvedsubs tance .

Remove diseased plan ts .

TABLE 4 .

— I n sects an d other pests that attack eggplan t i n the Tropi cs

Common name Scien tifi c name Symptoms or notes Sugges ted con trol l

Meloi dogyn e spp . Root galls Soil treatmen t,resis tan t

varie ties .$ argaphi a solan i Fine yellow spots B iological con trol s exi st

carbaryl,

2 malathion .

3

Aphi s spp . Malathion .

3

Tetran ychus spp . V ery fine spots , m ites Malathion .

3

beneath leaf.Leafli oppers V arious $ellowing

,wilting dry Carbaryl . 2

ing of leaf edges .Shot holes in leaves Carbaryl . 2Roots and s tems eaten Phys ical des truct ion of

nes ts .Fruit borer Leuci n odes orbon ali s Frui t and shoot dam Removal of parts affected ,

age . long rotations , heat treatmen t ( 50° C ) of seeds .

1These chemical - con trol measu res are regi s tered for use in the Uni ted S tates . Because con trol pract icesvary from coun try to coun try

,local regulat ions and sugges ted con trol practices should be sought in every

case .

21$Naph

'thyl me thylcarbamate .

3$ ie thyl mercaptosucci n ate S

- es ter with - dime thy‘l phosphorodi thi oate .

Phomopsis rot . The former is the most frequent cause of dieback ines tablished plan ts . The latter is the most annoying

,for i t destroys the

value of the -fru it . In both cases,res is tant varieties are available

,but

local races to which such varieties are not resistant may occur . Notethat nonchemical con trols include destruction of diseased material sand rotation of crops . In some areas

,specific chemical controls may

be available .

In sects and other pes ts commonly found on eggplan t are i n cI II dedin table 4 . Con trol pract i ces should be learned from local authorities .Chemical - control pract i ces reg i stered in the United S tates may beunsuitable for some parts of the Tropics

,and may pos s ibly be illegal .

POSTHARV E ST CONSIDERATIONS

Storage an d Use

Eggplants can be s tored for up to 10 days at a high (85 to 90percent) relat i ve humidity and a medium - low (10

° to 13° C )

temperature . At lower temperatures,injury by chill ing occurs , and

the eating quality of the fruit decreases .The uses of eggplant are varied . $oung uncooked fruits are cut

fine and used in curries . Unripe uncooked fruits are also marinated in

TABLE 5 .

— Nutr i ti on al value of cooked eggplan t

Amoun t per Male adul t Percen tageComponen t100 grams 1 daily requiremen t2 of R$ A

O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

Ascorbic acidN iacinR iboflavinThiam ine1Adams2National Research Council

vinegar and spices . Fruits can be sliced and boiled or steamed for afew minutes . In the western world ,

the eggplant is most often used asamaterial that is enriched by other ingredients to give i t

'

flavor. S tripsor sl ices are dipped in batter an d fried . Fruits are hollowed andstuffed with mixtures of other ingredients or with spiced cubes of thefruit itself. A wide variety of recipes exists for baking eggplant

-

withsauces .Because cooked eggplant is soft

,it i s often recommended in folk

medicine for stomach ulcers,colitis

,and constipation .

Nutri ti onal V alue

The nutritional value of eggplant is low (table A 100- gram(half—cup) serving does not contain even 10 percent of the dailyrequirement of any nutrient . It is a fair source of vitamin C and ironan d -a poor source of the B vitamins . On the other hand

,other

Solan um species often contain poisonous alkaloids in small to largequantities . Although the fruits of eggplant are believed free ofalkaloids , the leaves may not be . Probably the eggplant is safer thancommon related species freely eaten and harmless to most people

,

such as tomato,pepper

,and potato .

17

FUTURE PROSPECTS AND

RECOMMENDATIONS

Eggplant will continue to be a popular vegetable in theTemperate Zone and in the Tropics . Nevertheles s , its role will alwaysbe limited unles s steps are taken to change it . With the wide varietyof eggplants already available , it should be poss ible to select cultivarsfor greater nutri tional value . In particular

,it should be poss ible to

increase the protein conten t and the-

vitamin C by breeding . It shouldalso be possible to breed into such eggplants resistance for the mostdestructive diseases of the hot , humid Tropics , bacterial wilt andPhomopsis rot . It should also be poss ible to obtain eggplants withedible leaves . Probably

,this wou ld involve the elimination of the

pubescence of this species and possibly a reduction of the alkaloidconten t . Edible . leaves , although hardly a marketable product inmany parts of the Trop i cs

,will increase the use of eggplant in the

home garden and raise the overall nutritional contribution of theplant . The future of eggplant can be bright .On the other hand

,there is also a potential for the development of

relatives of the eggplan t . Perhaps the best of these are Solan um g i lo ,S . macrocarpon ,

and S . i‘

n tegmfoli um ,in that order . The fruits of S .

g i lo are already an excellent vegetable , and it may indeed be moreversatile than eggplan t . The leaves are glabrous and edible . Carefulinves tigation of these spec i es i s n ecessary to real ize their potentials .

LITERATURE CITED

(1) Adam s , C. F . 1975 . Nu trit ive value of American foods in common units . U.S.

$ ep . Agric .,Agric . Han db . 456 ,

291 pp .

(2) Choudhury , B . 1967 . V egetables . 214 pp . National Book Trus t,New

—“

$ elhi ,I ndia .

(3) 1971 . Research on eggplan ts in I ndia . Ford Foun dati on/I ITA/I RATSem inar on V ege table Crops Research , Ibadan , N igeria .

(4) j ardin , C laude . 1967 . L i s t of foods u sed in Africa . 320 pp . Food and AgricultureOrgan izat ion of the United Nation s , Rome .

(5) Knott, I . E .

,and $ eamon

, J . R ., Jr .

’

1967 . V egetable production in Sou theas tAs ia . 366 pp . Universi ty of the Phil ippines , Los Banos , Phil ippines .

(6) Nat ional Research Council . 1974 . Recommended dietary allowances . 8th ed .

‘ The Counci l,$ ashington .

H US . $ O V E R NM E NT PR IN T IN$ O FF IC E : 19 8 1 — 5 6 9 - 0 3 6/1 0 C

U . S . $ EPA R TM E NT O F _A $ R IC ULT U R ESC IE N CE A N $ E $ UCA T IO N A $ M IN IST R AT IO N

P. 0 . $ O $ 5 3 3 2 6

N E $ O R L EA N S . LO U IS IA N A 7 0 1 5 3

O F F IC IA L $ U S IN E S SPEN A LT$ FO R PR IV A TE US E . $3 0 0

POST A $ E A N $ F EES PA I $

U . 5 . $ EPA R TM EN T O F

A $ R ICULTU R EA$ R 10 1

LI $RAR$

1022223 1 13