The Eggplant (Solanum melongena L.) popularly known as brinjal in India, is one of the most important vegetable consumed in South Asia. China and India are the major producers, together accounting for nearly 84% of world production, with about 3% of production in Africa and the same in Europe.

Eggplant is grown on nearly 0.6 million hectares in India. In Bangladesh, more than 20 varieties are grown. An estimated 8 million farmers are involved in eggplant cultivation.

Challenges: A study by the Asian Vegetable Research and Development Center (AVRDC) states that about 54 to 70 % of yields get damaged by the Fruit and Shoot Borer. In South Asia, the damage by this pest starts soon after transplanting and continues until the harvest of the fruit. Management of pests in eggplant requires repeated use of pesticide applications throughout the growth period, including close to harvest. As the yield loss could be total, farmers use many toxic chemicals and apply up to 80 sprays over a seven-month cropping season. This practice has immediate as well as long-term harmful effects on the environment and health of farmers and also adds to production costs. It is estimated that in Asia, chemical spraying accounts for 24% of the total cost of production. To produce hybrid eggplant, it costs Indian farmers an average of US $650/ha, of which $400 goes to crop protection.

Project Aim: The goal of this project is to develop and commercialize transgenic open pollinated fruit and shoot borer resistant eggplant for resource-limited farmers in India and Bangladesh through public-private partnerships with MAHYCO. It is expected that Mahyco's transgenic hybrid seeds will reach farmers by the end of the financial year of 2007. Transgenic open pollinated varieties will likely be made available two years later.

Potential Benefits: Eggplant is an important vegetable crop in the subtropics and the transgenic fruit and shoot borer resistant eggplant, when commercialized, will have the potential to benefit about 700,000 farmers in India, Bangladesh and Philippines and reduce the combined annual losses of $219 million in India and Bangladesh.

Collaborators: Countries for deployment are India and Bangladesh.

India:
Maharashtra Hybrids Seeds Company (Mahyco)
Indian Institute of Vegetable Research (IIVR), Varanasi
Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU), Coimbatore
University of Agricultural Sciences (UAS), Dharwad

Bangladesh:
Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI)
East West Seeds Limited (Bangladesh)