ABSTRACT
The eggplant, Solanum melongena L., is a cultivated herb of the nightshade family (Solanaceae) and includes three botanical varieties: S.m. var. esculentum, S.m. var. serpent! num, and S.m. var. depressum, which differ in various aspects of plant morphology and phenology including fruit shape and size.' Most of the commercial cultivars are descendants of two or all three of the botanical varieties. The eggplant, biennial in nature but cultivated mostly as an annual, is described as: “an erect and much branched herb or subshrub, 60 to 90 cm tall, woolly or scrufy, spiny; leaves large and heavy, oval or oblongoval becoming nearly glabrous above, but remaining tomentose beneath, shallowly sinuate lobed; flowers large, fruits a large berry.” 1 The eggplant flowers profusely and can, under favorable conditions, continue to grow, flower, and produce fruits for many months. The plant bears variously shaped edible fruits which are black, purple, violet, green, or white and sometimes mottled or striped in color, and is an important market vegetable especially in Asia and the Mediterranean countries.
