Research Information System
NEW ZEALAND JOURNAL OF CROP AND HORTICULTURAL SCIENCE, vol.35, no.1, pp.51-59, 2007 (SCI-Expanded)
This study aimed to determine relationships for the effect of light (between 3 and 7 MJ/m(2) per day) and temperature (between 12 degrees C and 28 degrees C) on some developmental and fruiting parameters such as days to first flowering (FD, days), flower bud number/plant (FBN/P), fruit number/plant (FN/P), mean fresh fruit weight/plant (MFFW/P, g), fruit growth period (FGP, days), and total yield/plant (TY/P, g) of eggplant (Solanum melongena) grown in greenhouses. All parameters except days to flowering and fruit growth period showed a sharp curvilinear response to temperature at all light intensities, with lower values either side of an optimum temperature. Days to flowering showed little response to temperature at 7 MJ/m(2) per day of light but decreased with temperature at 3 MJ/m(2) per day. Optimum temperature for each attribute increased with increasing light intensity except for flower bud number. FD, FN/P, and TY/P showed a slight curvilinear response to light intensity at all temperatures except that days to flowering and fruit number per plant showed a sharp curvilinear decline at higher temperatures. FBN/P and MFFW/P showed a sharp linear response to light intensity at lower temperatures and a slight curvilinear response at higher temperatures. At all temperatures, FGP was a sharp linear function of light intensity. The derived relationships provide the potential for optimising growth and fruiting of eggplant in greenhouses, but need to be validated under commercial conditions.