Solanum melongena, known as ‘aubergine’ in Europe, ‘brinjal’ in Asia, and Africa, ‘eggplant’ in USA and Canada (derived from the egg-like shape of the fruit of some varieties).
The other known names are melongen, garden egg, and guinea squash. Brinjal is native to India and a common man’s vegetable. India is the second largest producer of brinjal in the world, after China. India produces 83.47 lakh tonnes of brinjal and this accounts for 25 % of the world’s brinjal production.
Reference
Surendra Parihar
Ex.Professor and Head.
Deptt. of Seed , Science and Technology.
Indian Agricultural Research Institute,
Pusa,
New Delhi,
India 110012