Abstract
Chilling sensitivity of eggplant fruit after harvest was examined in relation to soil moisture and fertilizer application during cultivation.
Chilling sensitivity was higher in fruit grown under wet conditions throughout the period of fruit development than that under dry conditions. When soil moisture was changed from a dry to a wet condition 3 days before harvest, high chilling sensitivity was observed in the fruit after harvest. Chilling sensitivity of eggplant fruit seemed to be considerably affected by soil moisture just before harvest.
Chilling sensitivity seemed to be higher in the fruit grown with insufficient nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizers than that under the conventional application. A double application of these fertilizers had little effect on the chilling sensitivity. No consistent trend of chilling sensitivity was observed in the fruit grown under different applications of potassium fertilizer.
