Eggplant issues - what is this?

[applestar]

My two Money Maker eggplants that have just started to yield harvestable size fruits are increasingly looking distressed. Some of the leaves had been slowly turning yellow with small brown spots sprinkled all over them.

At first it seemed mostly the biggest/oldest leaves … but in the past several days, the situation has turned more dire with even small new leaves becoming affected.

I’ve been cutting them off when yellowed beyond redemption, but some of them have started drying up and dropping on their own.

I have been harvesting the fruits while still a bit smaller than ideal to keep down stress.

We haven’t had much rain, and plants in areas outside the veg garden are showing signs of wilting/stress — but I thought I was watering these eggplants sufficiently — it’s possible they have betn on the dry side— maybe too much?

Between yesterday and today, I’ve started to see beginning of same problem on the three other, later planted Shoya Long eggplants as well. They have only just started setting fruits and I guess two of them had their first immature tiny fruit culled to encourage more upper growths.

One possibility I can’t ignore is pest transmitted disease — that there have been a minor congregation of leafhoppers on lowest leaves, and those little green leafhoppers hiding in the still folded uppermost newest leaves. Ther have been the occasional Spotted Lanternflies also — but less than half dozen so far.

Here are sample of leaves. Do you recognize the problem?

[pepperhead212]

I have noticed that on some EPs, and I'd be willing to bet it is some disease transmitted by those #@!&n lanternflies! They are constantly on my plants - they are one thing not bothered at all by the Surround. I dusted with DE one time, and they were gone briefly, but right back again! I'm still getting eggplants, but the plants do not look good. The heat isn't helping, either. I am also having the same problem with some cucumbers, which are also a lanternfly magnet.

[applestar]

Thanks @pepperhead, I was afraid of that being the likely cause…. If you are seeing similar leaf and plant issues, then for sure it’s not due to lack of water or nutrients….