Eggplant

Eggplant is a frost-intolerant perennial grown as an annual. The purplish-black color of the immature fruit is a result of anthocyanin in the subepidermal cells. Fruit types are varied, including a small 'green grape' eggplant from Thailand; 'Easter-egg' types with variously colored fruits on a single plant; Italian 'bella' types with delicate pink and white shading on round fruits; the standard commercial type with black three-pound fruits and the increasingly popular, slim, purple-black 'Japanese' or oriental types. Shapes vary from round to almost breadstick shaped, and color variations include white, red, green, purple, pink, and glossy solid black.

Climatic Requirements

Eggplant is one of the most heat-loving of the vegetables normally grown in the temperate zone and requires a frost-free period of 100 to 140 days. Optimal daytime temperatures are 75 to 85 degrees F and optimal night temperatures are 65 to 76 degrees F.

It is even more sensitive to cold than tomatoes or peppers and will be injured by temperatures below 65 degrees F.

Location of Production

In 1989, 32 percent of the eggplant consumed in the U.S. was imported. Half of the United States eggplant acreage is located in the Southern Region. The top four states in 1992 (based on harvested acreage) accounted for 92 percent of the eggplant acreage in the South.

Eggplant acreage in the Southern Region