New Brinjal Variety Looks Like Apple

Can you replace fish fry with a vegetable? Why not? The pretty purple brinjal / eggplant fry can replace the fish fry on your table. Vellannoor eggplant is so tasty and fleshy. Though it resembles the shape of an apple, once marinated with masala and fried, it could give a neck-to-neck competition for any fish fry.

The star here is an eggplant variety grown in Chettikkadavu, Kozhikode for years. Vellannoor eggplant is very profitable for the farmers and a favorite of the locals as it yields up to 10 kg in a single plant.

How can you grow Brinjal?

Seedlings should be prepared by seed germination.
Mix three pots of sand, three pots of soil, three pots of manure or two pots of compost and one kg of neem cake and spread the seeds on top of the well-powdered potting mixture.
On top of that, the ground soil can be sprinkled along with small leaves (like tamarind leaves) and watered evenly on alternate days.
Two weeks after germination, it can be transplanted to a half-filled long polythene cover with potting mixture.
Seedlings thus rooted in polythene covers can be transferred to pots, grow bags or large plastic buckets filled with potting mixture prepared as mentioned earlier.

An alternative

Instead of growing in pots, you can grow these plants in well-drained coconut groves as an intercrop.
Each plant should be spaced 2 m apart. Seedlings should be planted in pits of half a meter in depth, length and width filled with potting mixture.
At least 40-50 seedlings can be planted in an area of one cent.

How to take care of Brinjal Sapling?

Organic manure is the best for Vellannoor eggplants.

Manure, vermicompost, diluted vermiwash and diluted cow urine can be poured in a moderate amount.
Water the plants per pot with 20 g of powdered neem cake solution and diluted groundnut cake solution. This helps in supplying Nitrogen to the plants.
In the case of chemical fertilizers,
Two grams of urea, 3-4 grams of superphosphate and 3-4 grams of potash can be added to a pot every month.
Mix 3 ml of Acomin in one liter of water and pour it on each plant once a month to control diseases and pests.

Health Benefits of Brinjal

Eggplant blooms in two months with right amount of fertilizers, water and light.
Can be harvested within 15 days of fruiting and it is very delicious.
Some eggplants weigh up to 500 gms. Hence it is hugely profitable for the farmers.

How to buy it?

Seedlings are available at the farm in Vellannoor.
At Iduveettil Chandran’s BLFO (Block Level Federation Market) plant in Vellannoor, seedlings are always ready for sale. Phone: 9961460030