Yield and quality of eggplant (Solanum melongena L.) as affected by cover crop species and residue management

• Eggplant crop was grown after green manuring or mulching winter cover crop residues.
• The role cover crop and residue management on eggplant fruit quality was studied.
• Mulch system contributes to enhance sustainability of vegetable agro-ecosystems.
• Fruit quality from hairy vetch treatment was higher than conventional practice.

The aim of this study was to assess the effect of winter cover crops (hairy vetch, oat and oilseed rape) and their residue management (conventionally tilled and no-tilled soil) on eggplant yield and fruit quality. Hairy vetch residues showed high nitrogen accumulation, low C:N ratio and they improved the marketable yield, size, firmness, dry matter and soluble solids content of eggplant fruit (var. Mirabella) as well as potentially affecting pericarp color and lead to early fruit maturation. However, oat and oilseed rape residues showed poor nitrogen accumulation which affected both low eggplant yield and fruit quality due to high phenol content causing significant changes in color after slicing. Titratable acidity did not differ among treatments, while pH was slightly higher in fruit from tilled than no-tilled soils. The results suggest that hairy vetch residues placed on the soil surface as organic mulch could effectively improve eggplant yield and fruit quality.

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