Eggplant problem

[Zootal]

I have grown eggplants in this garden for five years, and I rotate their position each year. This year, half of my eggplants are having the same problem to greater or lesser degrees. The leaves will wilt at the edges, and eventually turn brown, progressing to the point where the entire leaf dies. There is no insect pests that I'm aware other than a few slugs or flea beatles, but this does not appear to be insect damage. It has not yet killed the entire plant. Not every plant does this - the green eggplant plants seem to be more susceptible to this than the purple ones (I grow about six or seven different varieties). I've never see eggplants do this before. Does this sound familiar to anyone?

[Billy]

I've see something like that in tomatoes and basil. How often does the family Solanaceae get planted in the same plot?

[Brooklyn1]

Where are you? Eggplant needs hot... a few cold nights and they are kaput.

[Zootal]

Brooklyn1 wrote in news: [e-mail]:

Wilamette Valley, Oregon. Warm days in the 80s, cool nights. But I've grown them here for five years, and this is the first time I've had problems.

My okra - that is another story - they hate the Northwest. Here it is the end of August, and the warm weather is going to end in about 3 weeks, and they are just now starting to blossom...

But eggplants have always done good here....

[Brooklyn1]

You don't say whether you've harvested any yet this season, if not then I'd guess your weather hasn't been good for eggplant all season. Eggplant does best with relatively dry weather and hot nights. If this is your first poor eggplant year out of five than I'd say you are doing well. With gardening one needs to accept that there will be years when plants do not do well, otherwise you need a different hobby, one that doesn't rely on nature, like knitting. Most years I have such an abundance of eggplant that I can't eat even half, so I give them away. But this summer began with too much rain an dcool nights, than a six week drought with temps in the 90s, then back to rainy and cold nights... so far I got four small eggplants and may get a measly few more. Only my zucchini did okay this year, but not really an abundance. As far as I'm concerned this vegetable growing season was a loser and now is over, it will be an early fall.

[beecrofter]

Verticillium wilt causes stunting and wilting of plants. Leaves turn yellow along the margins, later turning brown and wilting. A lengthwise cut of the infected stem shows dark-brown discoloration in the vascular tissue.