Executive Summary Eggplant, Solanum melongena, is a very tender, bushy, erect plant that belongs to the Solanaceae family, which also includes potatoes, tomatoes, and sweet peppers. Eggplant is grown commercially as a fresh-market vegetable crop in the United States, with the fruit being the edible portion. Botanically, eggplant may live for more than a year, although it is mainly grown as an annual. It requires a long, warm growing season to produce optimum yields and is very susceptible to injury due to frosts and long periods of cold temperatures. An eggplant bush usually attains a height of 2 to 4 feet. The fruit is pendant and is considered to be a fleshy berry. Depending on the eggplant variety, the fruit may vary in color (from purple to purple-black, to white, red, or variegated), shape (oval, round, long, oblong or egg-shaped), and size. The seeds are born on a fleshy placenta and are distributed throughout the fruit. Eggplant flowers are self-pollinating. About 20 to 30 eggplant varieties are available in the United States. Traditional varieties such as Black Beauty' are oval to elongated-oval in shape, and average 5 to 6 inches long. In contrast, Oriental varieties tend to be long and slender, reaching about 6 to 12 inches in length and 1« to 2 inches in diameter According to the Census of Agriculture, 2,203 U.S. farms harvested eggplant from 8,097 acres in 1992. The Census indicates that the number of farms in 1992 had increased 35 percent since 1987, and harvested acreage had increased about 54 percent. Florida, New Jersey, California, Georgia, and Oregon accounted for 72 percent of U.S. harvested acreage. Fifty-one percent of all farms with eggplant production in 1992 used irrigation, and 81 percent of total harvested acres were irrigated. The number of irrigated farms and the harvested area under irrigation increased 41 percent and 61 percent, respectively, from 1987. The five leading eggplant-producing states (in terms of harvested area) accounted for 79 percent of U.S. irrigated acreage. Domestic demand for eggplant has remained fairly flat for the last eight years, with consumption steady at 0.4 pounds per person since 1988. Consumption will likely stay at 0.4 pounds per person in 1996, unchanged from the year before. The introduction of prepared products from eggplant may, however, help strengthen domestic demand in future years. To attain profitable yields, eggplant requires a long, warm, frost-free growing season of about 14 to 16 weeks. Daytime temperatures of 80øF to 90øF and nighttime temperatures of 70øF to 80øF are considered optimal. Plant growth stops at temperatures below 60øF. If growth is interrupted, the eggplant produces inferior fruit. Therefore, transplants should not be set in the field until the daily mean temperature reaches at least 65øF to 70øF. Eggplant matures in 100 to 150 days when planted from seed, and in 70 to 85 days when transplants are used. Most commercial eggplant cultivars produce 500 to 700 bushels of marketable product per acre, with the highest yields attained by harvesting at least five or six times during the season at seven- to ten-day intervals. Large, vigorous plants may yield as many as 4 to 6 fruit at the peak of the season. Some growers in Florida, under ideal conditions, may harvest about 2,000 cartons per acre, which approaches 14 to 15 eggplant per plant. Prompt harvesting of eggplant increases the setting of new fruit and overall yields. Eggplant are harvested manually with a sharp knife or pruning shears, usually when they are one-third to two-thirds mature. The fruit are clipped from the plant, with the calyx or cap and part of the stem left attached to the fruit. Careful handling of the fruit is necessary to avoid bruising. Mature fruit should not be left unharvested because the fruit's seeds will become bitter. In addition, regular harvesting promotes the production of new fruit. Eggplant is a warm season crop. However, excessive heat coupled with dry conditions may lead to slow plant growth and bitter-tasting fruit. Under extremely high temperatures, the eggplant fruit are also prone to sunscald. Sunscalding causes brown areas to form on fruit surfaces that are exposed to the sun, consequently diminishing the fruit's marketability. Eggplant is also very sensitive to cold temperatures. Usually, cold temperatures stop plant and root growth and reduce plant vigor and yields. Young plants, as well as unharvested fruit, are very susceptible to chilling injury caused by long periods of chilly, but frostless, weather. Unharvested fruit may be severely damaged by even light frost. Disaster assistance payments for all eggplant (including specialty eggplant) losses totaled $4.5 million over the 1988-94 period. The largest payments were made in 1993, at $1.08 million, due mainly to drought conditions in the spring and summer and excessive moisture later in the year. Payments were large again in 1994, at nearly $960,000. Hail and freezing temperatures were other reasons for crop losses during 1988 through 1994. Our assessment is that eggplant may not be a very strong candidate for crop insurance, except in the Southeast. Industry sources have indicated that growers may not likely be interested in buying insurance solely for their eggplant crop because they usually grow more than one crop and eggplant is usually a minor crop. Further, most of the eggplant acreage in major eggplant-producing states is irrigated, reducing the risk of crop losses due to drought. Interest in an eggplant insurance policy, however, will likely originate from Florida and Georgia. The Southern region accounts for about one-half of U.S. harvested eggplant acreage, and about three-quarters of total disaster payments for eggplant losses during 1988 through 1994. Of these states, Florida and Georgia accounted for 78 percent of the regions' harvested acreage and 88 percent of the region's share of total disaster payments. Interest among Florida growers may be somewhat smaller than in Georgia because 87 percent of the disaster payments made to Florida growers were collected by minor producing counties. Georgia growers might have greater interest in eggplant insurance because disaster payments in the state were collected primarily in major-producing counties.