Cultivation

The aubergine is also called eggplant or brinjal.

In tropical and subtropical regions worldwide, aubergines are cultivated outdoors and in temperate latitudes only in warm regions. Most important producing countries are China and India (cultivation area 600,000ha); additional countries are Turkey, Egypt and Japan. In Europe, aubergines are cultivated outdoors in Spain, Italy and France; in the Netherlands, they are cultivated primarily in the greenhouse.

Utilization

The aubergine will be:

• consumed as vegetable sautéed, braised or roasted
• offered processed in vegetable products

Biotechnology: Aims of research and development

Agronomic traits

Pest resistance

• Insect resistance: through the introduction of a new gene, the plants produce bt toxin, that is poisonous to chewing insects.
  By this method, the resistance of the plant towards the brinjal shoot and fruit borer (also called eggplant borer) is achieved. It is expected that the application of pesticides thereby could be reduced and costs lowered. In the USA, the same goal was pursued. In this case, the targeted organism was the potato beetle.

Disease resistance

• Fungal resistance

Plant development

• parthenocarpy for the production of seedless fruits.

Field trials with GM aubergine

Use of GM aubergine