The Influence of Water Deficit on Vegetative Growth, Physiology, Fruit Yield and Quality in Eggplants

The effects of water deficit on plant growth, physiology and dry matter accumulation in the eggplant (Solanum melongena L. cv., Teorem F1) grown in pot were studied under out door conditions. Water stress was imposed by irrigating the plants with 80%, 60% and 40% of water needed to reach pot capacity (PC) in the soil. Control plants were irrigated 100% of PC. Water deficits increased leaf temperature up to 3-4 oC compared to the control. The water stress resulted in significant decreases in chlorophyll content, electrolyte leakage (EL), leaf relative water content (LRWC) and vegetative growth. Severe water stress (40% of PC) reduced plant height by 46%, stem diameter by 51%, total dry weight by 43% and relative leaf expansion rate (RLER) by up to 75%. The root to shoot ratio was 2.1 times higher in waterstressed plants, showing that water stress in eggplants alters the pattern of dry matter distribution favoring the roots. Plants grown under high water stress had less fruit yield and quality than those in the control treatment. Water deficit also inhibited the uptake of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium within the plant. The decrease in fruit yield, quality and plant growth induced by water deficit was a consequence of a reduction in both RLER and transpiration.