Int.J.Curr.Microbiol.App.Sci (2020) 9(4): 380-386 380 Original Research Article https://doi.org/10.20546/ijcmas.2020.904.045 Assessment of Environmental Factors on Growth of Brinjal under Open and Protected Conditions E. Shikha*, M. Kunnathadi, K. Shahida, S. Sreelekshmi and E. Jubail Agricultural Research Station, Anakkayam, Anakkayam P. O, Malappuram- 676505, Kerala, India *Corresponding author ABSTRACT Introduction Vegetables are important component of balanced human diet. Brinjal or eggplant (Solanum melongena) is one of the most common tropical vegetable crops. It is a versatile crop adapted to different agro- climatic regions. Large number of varieties with different fruit size, shape and color are grown in India. Fruits are moderate source of vitamins and minerals like phosphorous, calcium and iron. The nutritive value of fruits varies from variety to variety. Wild relatives of brinjal have shown to be an important source for transferring tolerance to biotic and abiotic stresses and other agronomically important traits in cultivated brinjal varieties (Rotino et al., 2013). Surya, Swetha, Haritha and Neelima are some of the varieties suitable for Kerala. International Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences ISSN: 2319-7706 Volume 9 Number 4 (2020) Journal homepage: http://www.ijcmas.com The present study was undertaken at Agriculture Research Station, Anakkayam from February- April, 2019 with objectives to study the influence of various environmental conditions on growth of brinjal (Solanum melongena) under protected and open cultivation and to analyze the impact of variations in temperature, humidity and soil moisture on plant biometric characters. The abiotic factors like temperature, humidity and soil moisture showed significant variation under different growing conditions (open field and polyhouse). Mean daily temperature (36.9⁰ c) and relative humidity (66%) were higher under polyhouse as compared to open field values of 31.72⁰ c and 47.5% respectively. The biometric characters such as plant height, number of leaves, leaf area index, fruit length, girth and weight were also recorded. Plants grown in polyhouse had higher plant height (44.4 cm) and leaf area index (1.091) as compared to open field. The mean fruit weight was observed to be 106.6g under polyhouse open field (78.32g). The study showed that high temperature combined with optimum relative humidity was favourable for the growth of brinjal plants under protected condition and that had a positive correlation on plant biometric and yield parameters. High moisture per cent along with microbial diversity of soil under protected condition also had a significant role in improving soil fertility, which in turn favoured growth and productivity of the crop. Keywords Brinjal, Polyhouse, Open field, Environmental factors, Climate change, Temperature, Humidity, Leaf area index Accepted: 04 March 2020 Available Online: 10 April 2020 Article Info