What pests attack eggplant?

Colorado Potato Beetle, Tomato russet mite, Broad mite, Flea beetles, Leaf Miner, Tomato hornworm, Two-spotted spider mite, Whitefly

What diseases affect eggplant?

Bacterial wilt (brown rot of potato), Leaf Curl Virus, Tomato spotted wilt virus, Anthracnose, Early Blight, Verticillium wilt

Eggplant pests and diseases: how to recognise them

Q: Which eggplant problems need quick action?

Colorado Potato Beetle: Oval yellowish beetles about 1 cm long with ten black stripes on their wing covers. Tomato russet mite: Leaves curl, turn yellow or bronze, sometimes glossy underneath, then wither and drop. Bacterial wilt (brown rot of potato): The youngest leaves wilt first, then the whole plant wilts quickly in warm weather while the leaves stay green, even though the soil is moist. Leaf Curl Virus: Plants are stunted and stay upright and bushy because the internodes are short; plants infected young are severely stunted. Tomato spotted wilt virus: Dark brown streaks on stems and leaf stalks; tips die back, and plants are stunted or grow lopsided.

Solanum melongena

The pests, diseases and disorders recorded for eggplant in our library, each with a photo and its first symptom. Every page has the full list of symptoms, organic and chemical treatment and prevention.

At a glance

Problems in total	15
Pests	8
Diseases	6
Growing conditions	1
Need quick action	5

How to grow eggplant · All pests and diseases

Pests

Colorado Potato BeetleOval yellowish beetles about 1 cm long with ten black stripes on their wing covers.Also called: Colorado beetle, potato bugPhoto: Adámozphoto, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Tomato russet miteLeaves curl, turn yellow or bronze, sometimes glossy underneath, then wither and drop.Photo: Goldlocki, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Broad miteLeaf edges pucker and turn downward because the leaves cannot expand normally.Photo: David Riley, University of Georgia, Bugwood.org, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Flea beetlesTiny beetles, 2–3 mm, black or metallic green or blue, some with a yellow stripe, that jump away when the plant is disturbed.Photo: Bob Peterson from North Palm Beach, Florida, Planet Earth!, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Leaf MinerSmall pale dots on the upper leaf surface where adult female flies have punctured the leaf to feed.Photo: Flowersabc, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Tomato hornwormThick green caterpillars up to 10 cm long with a horn at the rear end and eight white V-shaped stripes on each side; the similar tobacco hornworm has seven diagonal stripes.Also called: five-spotted hawkmothPhoto: Whitney Cranshaw, Colorado State University, Bugwood.org, CC BY 3.0 us, Wikimedia Commons
Two-spotted spider miteTiny yellowish-green mites with two dark patches, white cast skins and eggs on the leaf undersides — easiest to see with a 10× hand lens.Also called: red spider mitePhoto: Gilles San Martin from Namur, Belgium, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
WhiteflyFlat, oval, creamy-white scale-like nymphs on the undersides of leaves; black nymphs have been killed by a parasitic wasp.Photo: gaucho, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

Diseases

Growing conditions

Blossom-end rotThe first fruits of the season are affected most often.Photo: A13ean, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

Which eggplant problems need quick action?

These spread or do lasting harm fast; check the plants and start treatment the day you see them.

Colorado Potato Beetle: Clusters of yellow-orange eggs on the undersides of leaves.
Tomato russet mite: Fruit skin turns bronze and may crack lengthwise.
Bacterial wilt (brown rot of potato): Streaming test — put a freshly cut piece of the lower stem in a glass of clear water; within 3–5 minutes milky threads stream from the cut end. Fusarium and Verticillium wilts do not do this.
Leaf Curl Virus: Flowers often drop without setting, so very little fruit forms — losses can be total when plants are infected early.
Tomato spotted wilt virus: Fruit with pale yellow or light green rings, often raised in the centre; ripe tomatoes blotched red and yellow; peppers with ring spots.

Plants with many of the same problems

Which plants each problem affects: sources

The links between these problems and the plant were checked against these pages.