Brinjal, also known as eggplant or aubergine, is native to India. A total of 1.4 million small family farms grow brinjal, which provides a steady income from market sales for most of the year. The biggest threats to brinjal are insects that can damage 95% of the crop. Worms feeding inside the fruit result in destruction of the fruit tissues. The feeding tunnels become clogged with excreta. This makes even slightly damaged fruit unfit for marketing.

“Brinjal is the most common, popular and principal vegetable crop grown in many geographical parts in India. … Brinjal is mainly cultivated on small family farms and it is a source of cash income for resource-poor farmers. … Farmers use large quantities of chemical insecticides singly or in combination to get blemish free fruits, which fetch premium prices in the market.”

Author: S. Dhas and M. Srivastava
Affiliation: Laboratory of Entomology, Department of Biology, Government Dungar College, Bikaner, Rajasthan, India
Title: An assessment of Carbaryl residues on brinjal crop in an agricultural field in Bikaner, Rajasthan (India)
Publication: Asian Journal of Agricultural Science. 2010. 2(1):15-17.