Abstract
Chitosan (CS) is a natural polymer used in agriculture as a biostimulant that has been evaluated in different plant models. In this study, we evaluated the effect of the foliar application of chitosan–poly(acrylic acid) complexes (CS–PAA) and two nutrient solutions (A and B) on the parameters of growth and yield of two habanero pepper cultivars (Chichen Itza and Jaguar) in a greenhouse. Over the course of the experiment, eight foliar applications were carried out at 15-day intervals. Our results showed that foliar applications of CS–PAA complexes have a biostimulant effect on the habanero pepper crop by increasing the total dry biomass of the plant and the number of fruits of the two cultivars. Regarding nutrient solutions, the nutrient solution A increased the yield of the Chichen Itza cultivar; this effect was because it had a better balance of potassium and calcium compared to the nutrient solution B. These results provide advances on the use of CS–PAA complexes as a biostimulant and the management of nutrient solutions in the crop of habanero peppers.
Highlights
We demonstrated that the foliar applications of CS–poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) complexes increased growth and dry biomass parameters of habanero peppers compared to the control
Our results showed that the foliar applications of CS–PAA complexes increased fruit number, yield, and TSS value of ripe habanero pepper fruits compared to the control
Our results showed that the foliar applications of CS–PAA complexes improved plant height, stem diameter, total dry biomass, number of fruits, and yield of habanero peppers compared to the control
Summary
Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. Chitosan is a natural polysaccharide derived from the deacetylation of chitin and is mainly obtained from the exoskeletons of crustaceans and insects [1,2]. The process of alkaline deacetylation is inexpensive compared to the enzymatic process due to its low-cost for industrial production; it uses NaOH at 40–50% to eliminate more than 80% of the acetyl groups to obtain N-acetyl-D-glucosamine in β-1,4-D-glucosamine (CS) [3]. In the search for alternatives to enable a move towards more sustainable agriculture, CS is a good option because it is biodegradable, biocompatible, and non-toxic to humans [4,5]. The wide availability of CS has meant that it has been tested for use in agriculture since the
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
