Mitigating chilling stress of pepper plant (Capsicum annuum L.) using Dimethyl Ether combustion gas in controlled greenhouse

Abstract

In this study, the possibility of enhancing chilling stress tolerance of pepper plant (Capsicum annuum Linnaeus) during early growth stages was investigated using DME combustion gas in controlled greenhouse. The experiment was conducted to determine the performance of DME combustion gas when used as a fuel for DME burner for raising temperature and CO2 concentration in greenhouse and also to examine its effects on morphology parameters of hot pepper in winter season. To analyze the relationship between the application of DME and morphology parameters of pepper plant, three treatments (DME-1, DME-2 and DME-3) for three controlled greenhouses were assayed. DME-1 and DME-2 treatments consisted of average DME flow quantity in duct were 17.4 m3/min and 10.2 m3/min, respectively to greenhouse-1 and greenhouse-2 and no DME gas was supplied to greenhouse-3 which was left as control (DME-3). Morphology parameters such as plant height, leaf area and leaf area index (LAI), net assimilation rate (NAR), relative growth rate (RGR), fresh weight and dry weight were measured for eight weeks for each treatment and analyzed using completely randomized designs through analysis of variance with a significance level of P < 0.05. Although DME-1, DME-2 and DME-3 received same crop management practices and controlled environmental factors, the highest changes (p < 0.05) of plant height, leaf area, LAI and fresh weight were found from the DME-1 treatment, followed by DME-2. A comparison of relative growth rates among the treatments indicated more rapid relative growth rate of morphology parameters at vegetative phase of plant implying better yield. Therefore endorsed quantify of DME combustion gas for a specified crop can be applied to greenhouse to improve the plant growth and enhance yield with mitigating chilling stress in winter season.