Nursery Bed Preparation Since the seeds are very small in size, they are normally sown in raised nursery beds and the seedlings are planted in the main field later on. About 650 g of seeds will be required to plant one hectare. In case of hybrids, F1 hybrids are costly, seeds have to be sown individually in small plastic cups or ice cream cups in which 1-2 holes are made at the bottom to ensure drainage, by this method the quantity of seeds required to raise seedlings to plant one hectare can be reduced to 125 g to 250 g. During last week of May or first week of December, raised beds of 15cm height 8m long and 1.2m width are prepared. Avoid using same place for nursery bed preparation year after year. For one square meter of nursery area apply 5kg well rotten FYM and also apply 2.5g carbofuran or 200 g of neem cake. If necessary small amount of nitrogen can be added to push up growth For management of root-knot nematode (Meloidogyne incognita) and reniform nematode (Rotylenchulus reniformis an integrated plant protection strategy using botanicals and bio-agents has been developed. While preparing the nursery beds, neem cake /castor cake/ neam leaf/ castor leaf/ pongamia leaf/ calotropis leaf has to be incorporated @ 400 g/m2 followed by application of spore suspension of nematophagus fungus Paecilomyces lilacinus or Verticillium chlamydosporium and then inoculation of a vesicular arbuscular mycorrhizae Glomus fasciculatum or G.mossae. This combined treatment reduced the infestation of root-knot nematode and reniform nematode simultaneously increased the multiplication of endomycorrhizae and its colonization of bhendi root which inturn could protect the crop from the nematodes in the main field also. Seed treatment with biofertilizer The seeds required for one hectare can be mixed with required quantity of rice Kanji just to have a thin coating. Then 100-200 g. of Azospirillum culture can be sprinkled over this and stirred thoroughly by a stick. The treated seeds are dried in shade for 30 minutes and then sown sparsely along the lines in ½ cm depth and then covered by the topsoil. To protect the seeds from heavy rains, a thin layer of straw or dried grass is used to covers the seedbeds. The beds are then watered using rose can. About 4 cents of nursery area will be required to plant one hectare. Along the edges of the beds, Methyl parathion dust is applied to prevent ants from taking away the seeds. Seeds should be treated with Captan or Thiram @ 3g/Kg seed against seed transmitted diseases. Seeds should be sown either in the morning or evening, preferably at cloudy days. The seeds germinate in about seven to eight days. After germination, the straw cover is removed and the beds can be irrigated directly. To avoid damping off disease, the seedbeds have to be drenched with copper oxy chloride solution (2.5 g/lit). Twenty days after sowing, spray 1.5ml monocrotophos and 2 g zineb/ litre against sucking pests and seedling diseases. The seedlings are ready for transplanting in about 25-30 days after sowing.

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Preparation Of Main Field Fields which are previously used for Potato, Tomato, Chilly and Tobacco are not suitable for Brinjal cultivation. The field is ploughed three or four times and leveled properly. At the last ploughing 20-25 tonnes of farmyard manure, 10 kg carbofuran granules or 200 kg neem cake has to be applied. Ridges and furrows are formed at a spacing of 60 cm. Transplanting The plants must be hardened as they approach planting-out time. This is done by exposing the seedlings to open weather or by with holding irrigation now and then. A suitable brinjal plant for transplanting is 10 cm to 15 cm in height and has a good sturdy stem. Immersion of seedlings in Starter solution (a dilute solution of nitrogen, phosphorous and potash) at the time of transplanting will boost the growth of the seedlings. The transplanting is done in small flat beds in light soils where irrigation is available and on shoulders in shallow furrow where irrigation water is scanty. In heavy soil it is usually transplanted on ridges and during the rains also it is advantageous to plant the seedlings on ridges. The seedlings are planted in the furrows at a spacing of 30 cm and the plant is allowed to spread on the broad ridge. Irrigation water is allowed only in the narrow furrows and the broad ridge is kept free of moisture. This will prevent the fruits coming in contact with wet soil thereby rotting of fruit is prevented. In the normal system of planting, the seedlings are planted on the sides of the ridges. Seasons It can be grown in plains throughout the year but rabi season is the best. Rainy Season - June - July Winter Season -October- November Summer Season - February - March Seeds and Sowing 650 g/ha or nursery of 25-30 beds of the size 1x4 m would be adequate to transplant one hectare. The seedlings with 3-4 leaves which are approximately 30-35 days old should be transplanted with a spacing of 50x50cm. Or 75x50cm. Planting requirements The seeds are sown in well-prepared nursery-bed and the seedlings of about 15cm high are ready for transplanting in 4 to 5 weeks. About 200 to 300g of hybrid seeds are sufficient to raise seedlings needed for planting one hectare. The Brinjal seed is light in weight with the germination of 75 to 80%. The land should be deeply dug and well prepared before the seedlings are transplanted. Usually there is less mortality in the transplanted seedlings, which are placed 50 to 75cm in the rows and 90cm apart rows either in the plain beds or on ridges.

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