DRIS Norms and Sufficiency Ranges for Pepper Grown under Greenhouses Conditions in the Southeast of Spain

Alfonso Llanderal,María Teresa Lao,Pedro García-Caparrós,Maria Luz Segura

doi:10.3390/agronomy11050837

Abstract

The aim of this study was to compile DRIS (Diagnosis and Recommendation Integrated System) norms and sufficiency ranges for pepper grown in greenhouses and the determination of the variation in DRIS norms and sufficiency ranges during the different phenological stages of the crop. The DRIS norms and sufficiency ranges were constituted by 367 leaf samples of Capsicum annuum L. which were collected in different phenological stages of the crop (flowering (FL), fruiting (FT), fruit development (FD), and harvesting (HV)). Two sufficiency ranges were developed; one including all leaf samples and the other considering the leaf samples by phenological stages ((FL) (44), (FT) (96), (FD) (100), and (HV) (127)). Furthermore, 10 DRIS norms and CV were calculated from N, P, K, Ca, and Mg. Two ratios of them were calculated in FL (N/P and N/K), two in FD (N/P and Ca/N) and one in HV (N/P) showing low CV, meaning, according to DRIS norms, the essential role of these nutrients in the crop nutrition. Moreover, the sufficiency ranges computed by all database were: N (34–56), P (1.9–4.3), K (30–51), Ca (12–33), and Mg (4.0–15) (mg g−1 DW), respectively. The data obtained in this experiment highlighted the importance of the sensitivity (low CV) of nutrient in the phenological stages such as happened with N.

Highlights

Pepper is one of the most important crops together with tomato in greenhouses in Almeria
Considering the importance of the pepper crop in the southeast of Spain, the aim of this study was to constitute DRIS norms and sufficiency ranges for pepper grown in greenhouses and the verification of the variation in DRIS norms and sufficiency ranges during the phenological stages
The database was constituted by 367 leaf samples of Capsicum annuum L. type California and type Lamuyo with growth cycles from July to April which were collected in different phenological stages of the crop flowering (FL) (August–September) (44), fruiting (FT) (96) (September–October), fruit development (FD) (September–October) (100), and harvesting (HV) (127)

Summary

Introduction

Pepper is one of the most important crops together with tomato in greenhouses in Almeria. Compared to 2019, the production has increased by 7.7% highlighting the economic importance of this crop in the Southeast of Spain [1]. The most common varieties of peppers grown in Almeria are California, Lamuyo and Italian [2]. A higher yield is correlated with an adequate crop nutritional status and one of the most common methods to determine this parameter is through tissue analysis [3]. Another typical procedure to evaluate the nutritional status of one crop is based on the establishment of sufficiency ranges and DRIS norms [4,5]

Objectives

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion