Effects of Organic and Amino Acid Fertilization on Growth and Yield of Eggplant (Solanum melongena L.)

This study was conducted during the 2023-2024 growing season at the Agricultural Technical College, Northern Technical University, Nineveh Governorate, to evaluate the effects of organic and amino acid fertilization on the vegetative growth and yield performance of eggplant (Solanum melongena L.).A randomized complete block design (RCBD) was employed, comprising two fertilizer types (organic and amino acid) and three concentrations (0, 10, and 15 gL), resulting in six treatment combinations, each replicated three times, for a total of 18 experimental units.Statistical analysis was performed using SAS software.Significant improvements were observed in several vegetative and physiological parameters, including plant height, number of branches, stem diameter, and chlorophyll content.Organic fertilization produced the most substantial increases in plant height (43.000 cm), number of branches (5.444 branchesplant), stem diameter (16.367 mmseedling), and leaf chlorophyll content (22.723SPAD), significantly outperforming amino acid fertilization and the control.In contrast, amino acid fertilization resulted in a higher number of fruits per plant (5.888 fruitsplant).The interaction between organic fertilization and the 10 gL concentration yielded the highest plant height (52.667 cm) and number of fruits (6.000 fruitsplant).Additionally, the combination of organic fertilization and 15 gL concentration significantly increased the number of branches (6.666 branchesplant) and chlorophyll content (29.417SPAD).The stem diameter reached its maximum value (20.050 mmseedling) under amino acid fertilization at a concentration of 10 gL.The control treatment consistently produced the lowest values across all evaluated parameters.These findings demonstrate that both organic and amino acid fertilization can significantly enhance specific growth and yield components in eggplant, with organic fertilizers exhibiting superior overall performance in vegetative traits and amino acids promoting reproductive output.The results highlight the potential of integrating amino acid and organic nutrient management strategies to optimize eggplant productivity under field conditions.