As demand for Asian eggplants grows in Europe is it possible to grow them in greenhouses in a temperate climate? Yes, but the breeding of new varieties would improve prospects. Eggplants, a native vegetable of Southeast Asia, are among the most important vegetables worldwide. In subtropical areas they are mainly cultivated in the open but because of the rising demand in temperate regions eggplants are more and mote cultivated in greenhouses. Until now dark purple, aubergine, eggplant types are preferred in Europe and USA. More recently, there has been a growing interest among Europeans for typical Asian eggplant fruits of different sizes, shapes and colours. The Asian Communities in Europe also have preference for their traditional vegetables At the moment knowledge about cultivating these 'Asian' types of eggplant in greenhouses is limited and there are, so far as we know, no special cultivars bred for this purpose.
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