Abstract
Seeds of eggplant, cv.‘Hayabusa’were sown in sand bed. After cotyledon expansion, uniform seedlings were planted into 12cm polyethylene pots filled with three different media (soil, 1 soil: 1 bark compost, bark compost) under different soil moisture for 40 days and then transplanted to a vinylhouse.
1) Growth of seedlings, especially shoot growth, were suppressed under dry soil condition. Seedlings grown at low soil moisture showed lower value of stem weight to root weight (S/R) with a higher root and lower stem percentage of dry matter distribution than other seedlings.
2) The higher yield was obtained on the plants from seedlings grown under dry soil condition, which recovered quickly and developed a deeper and wider root system consisting mainly in thick roots over 1 mm in diameter after transplanting.
3) The yield was closely correlated to the number of thick roots over 1 mm in diameter. The more the number of thick roots, the higher the yield.
4) Plants with the lower S/R value at transplanting time showed both vigorous growth and higher yield. There also existed a correlation between the yield and S/R value.
5) It may be concluded that seedlings should be raised under the dry soil condition.
