Brinjal Farming in India: From Planting to Harvesting

Table of Contents

• Brinjal Farming in India: An Overview
• Which are the Popular Brinjal Varieties in India?
• What is the Brinjal Cultivation Process?

• • Soil & Climate
  • Nursery Preparation
  • Land Preparation & Transplanting
  • Irrigation
  • Fertilizer Application
  • Pest & Diseases Management
  • Harvesting & Yield

• Which are the Top Brinjal Producing States in India?

Brinjal Farming in India: An Overview

Brinjal crop is popularly known for its varieties and colour in India. It is available mainly in purple, white, and green colours. The scientific name of brinjal is Solenum Melongena. It belongs to the family Solanaceae. It is cultivated primarily in two types: round and long. It can be grown in almost all the regions of India, all year round. India is the second largest country in brinjal cultivation after China. The top brinjal producing states are West Bengal, Odisha & Gujarat.

Which are the Popular Brinjal Varieties in India?

• Pusa Purple Round
• Pusa Kranti
• CO2
• Pusa Purple Long
• MDU1
• Surya
• Swetha
• Pusa Purple Cluster
• Annamalai
• Arka Sheel

What is the Brinjal Cultivation Process?

Soil & climate, land preparation, planting, irrigation, harvesting, etc. are the major steps included in brinjal cultivation. Let’s understand the complete cultivation process below.

Soil & Climate

Brinjal can be grown in almost all types of soil, generally well drained fertile sandy loam soil rich in organic matter with pH of 6.5 to 7.5. It requires a warm climate with a temperature of 25 °C to 30 °C during day and less than 15 °C at night. It requires a rainfall range between 600 to 1000 mm.

Nursery Preparation

Make a raised nursery bed of 15 cm height to grow the brinjal seedlings. Do not keep the width of the nursery bed more than 1 m. Apply FYM 10 kg, neem cake 1 kg, VAM 50 g, enriched super phosphate 100 g and furadon 10 g per square metre before sowing. Area required for raising seedling for planting 1 ha is 100 sq.m. Cover the nursery bed with dry grass/ paddy straw or polythene for 3-5 days to induce early germination of seeds. The recommended seed rate for brinjal crops is 500 - 600 g/ha. Treat the seeds with Trichoderma viride @ 4 g / kg or Pseudomonas fluorescens @ 10 g / kg of seed. The most likely brinjal growing season in India is from December to January and May to June.

Land Preparation & Transplanting     

Prepare the soil by ploughing it to 4-5 times with a power tiller or through spade. Form ridges and furrows at a spacing of 60 X 60 cm. For hybrid varieties, the brinjal spacing of 90 X 60 cm is preferred. Transplant the seedlings after 35-40 days of sowing, when they attain a height of 15 cm with 4-5 leaves.

Irrigation

Irrigation needs to be done right after transplanting. Irrigate the plant at with an interval of 7 days. Use methods like drip irrigation and fertigation.

Fertilizer Application

Apply FYM or compost @ 20-25t/ha and NPK @ 120:60:80 ratio during soil preparation. Apply one third of Nitrogen, Potash and Phosphorus at the time of transplanting. Remaining amount of nitrogen is applied in two equal splits, first at 25 to 30 days and second 45 to 50 days after transplanting.

Pest & Diseases Management

Harvesting & Yield

The brinjal seedlings are ready to harvest after 55 to 60 days of transplanting. Fruits are harvested at tender stage at 4 to 5 days intervals. The average brinjal yield per acre is 250 to 300 quintals.

Which are the Top Brinjal Producing States in India?

Note: The above data is given by Horticulture Statistics Division, Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare in FY 2020-21.