Comparative Studies on the Fruit Yield of two Capsicum Varieties at Physiological Maturity

Abstract

A study was carried out at the Busia Agricultural Training Center (A.T.C), Western Kenya in 2019 to compare the fruit yields of two capsicum varieties from Syngenta seed company at the physiological maturity stages of red and yellow colors. Commandant F1 (red) and Admiral F1 (yellow) capsicum varieties were established under greenhouse conditions in two experimental beds measuring 0.7m by 13.5m. No controls were planted. Drip irrigation system was used with a plant-to-plant and inter-row spacing of 30cm and 40cm, respectively. Both of the two varieties were planted at the same time and subjected the same fertilizer treatments, pest and disease control measures, cultural practices and moisture supply. Data was collected on growth parameters (number of vegetative branches, flower buds and flowers) and yield components (number of fruits and harvest weight). Independent sample t-test was used to compare parameters (number of flowers, flower buds, fruits and the number of branches) for the two colored capsicum varieties, at a probability of p≤0.05. Further analysis involved finding weight and harvest averages for the two varieties. All analyses were performed in IBM SPSS Statistics, version 23. The red-coloured variety produced an average of 9.36 buds per plant compared to 5.2 for the yellow cultivar (p=0.01). Significant differences in the average yield potential of the yellow and red varieties (calculated as flowers, buds, and young fruits) were found between the red and yellow varieties (p=0.02). The red variety had a higher yield potential (19.52) than the yellow one (13.46). Within-variety weight comparison showed that the yellow variety lost a significant amount of fruit mass between the second and third harvest (0.122kg or 61%) compared to the red variety which lost 0.099kg or 58%. Keywords: Capsicum; Fruit yield; Physiological maturity; Variety; Red; Yellow