Endangering the Growth of Aubergines – Pests and Diseases

Aubergines or eggplants are a delicate perennial plant which is often cultivated as an annual. Special care has to be taken to keep them safe from pests and diseases. Pests and diseases have two damaging effects to these plants. It can hinder the growth of the plant and it can also cause its death. The stunted growth will lead to a poor harvest.

Pests like to feed on the leaves and fruits of aubergines. There are 5 most common eggplant pests. They are the acebugs, flea beetles, tomato hornworms, mites cutworms and aphids. By looking at the physical structure of your plants, you will be able to discern if it is under attack from pests.

To remove this threat there are various methods that you can adapt. For young plants, it is best to use collars and row. When the plants are mature and they can already withstand the use of pesticides, use insecticide soaps to get rid of these vermins. Other ways to solve this problem is by removing the weeds in the soil and using proper crop rotation. Also, regularly moisten the leaves with tepid water to discourage red spider mites from inhabiting in your plant.

Diseases, just like pests, can also limit the growth of eggplants. There are 3 common eggplant diseases that affect the growth of these plants. They are wilt disease, blossom end rot and various types of blight. Among all of the aubergine plant diseases, Verticillium wilt is the most damaging. There are also plant diseases which are caused by pests.

In order to prevent these diseases, there are a couple of steps that can be used. You can use proper crop rotation every other year. It is also important that the plants have adequate spacing in between them. It is advised that you place 2 feet of space in between plants. The third prevention method is proper watering.