Evaluation of Brinjal (Solanum melongena L.) Varieties for Growth, Yield and Quality Trait

An experiment was conducted to evaluate the performance of local brinjal (Solanum melongena L.) varieties for growth,
yield, and quality traits under pot culture conditions at the School of Agriculture, Vels Institute of Science, Technology and Advanced Studies (VISTAS), Chennai. The study was laid out in a Completely Randomized Design with nine
treatments comprising indigenous varieties and replicated thrice. Uniform agronomic practices were followed throughout
the experimental period. Significant variation (P ≤ 0.01) was observed among the varieties for all the parameters studied, indicating substantial genetic variability. Among the treatments, T₅ (Dindigul Long Purple) exhibited superior growth performance, recording the maximum plant height (68.90 cm), number of branches (9.80), and leaves per plant (80.60), along with early flowering (45.60 days) and earliest harvest (59.40 days). Flowering and fruiting attributes were also significantly influenced by varietal differences, with T₅ producing the highest number of flowers per plant (38.20), fruit set (45.02%), and fruit retention (44.60%), resulting in the maximum number of fruits per plant (17.20). Yield parameters
followed a similar trend, wherein T₅ recorded the highest average fruit weight (78.50 g), yield per plant (1349.20 g), and
yield per pot (1.35 kg), followed by T₈ (Kanchipuram Long Green) and T₃ (Manapparai Local). Quality attributes were
also significantly improved in T₅, which registered maximum fruit length (16.20 cm), girth (11.30 cm), total soluble solids
(5.35 °Brix), ascorbic acid content (12.10 mg/100 g), and extended shelf life (5.60 days).