Abstract
This pilot study was conducted to compare eco-physiological responses to starfish (SF)-treated red peppers (Capsicum annuum L.) in organic open-field (OF) and greenhouse (GH) cultivations in commercial farmhouses, South Korea in 2019. Treatments included starfish-liquid fertilizer (LF) applied in OF (SF-OF) and GH (SF-GH) plots, and SF + seaweed in OF (SFS-OF) and GH (SFS-GH). Weekly pH levels in SFS-LF were fluctuated for a 16-week storage period at room temperature due to having higher soluble salt levels than those of SF-LF. All experimental plots were ranged on soil pH between 7.1 and 7.4. SF- and SFS-GH plots resulted in increased soil electrical conductivity, organic matter, and increased concentrations of total nitrogen, phosphorous pentoxide, potassium oxide, and magnesium oxide, as well as exhibiting a richer and more diverse bacterial community. Leaf width and length and plant height increased in plants cultivated in GH, with low canopy width and stem diameter also observed to have increased. Total fruit yields were approximately two times higher for peppers cultivated in GH compared to OF cultivated peppers.
Highlights
IntroductionOrganic pepper production is an alternative way to achieve high nutritive fruit yield and fruit security without the use of synthetic inorganic fertilizers and pesticides [2]
PH increased in both liquid fertilizer (LF) treatments for the first 5 weeks of room temperature storage but rapidly decreased in the SF + seaweed (SFS)-LF-treated plots between 5 and 8 weeks of storage (Figure 1A)
High organic compounds in the SFS-LF plots would have decomposed into small molecules, generating organic acid, nitrification processes, and hydrogen ions [16] as shown by high soluble salts contained in the SFS-LF as a marine sourced fertilizer compared to those of SF-LF (Figure 1B)
Summary
Organic pepper production is an alternative way to achieve high nutritive fruit yield and fruit security without the use of synthetic inorganic fertilizers and pesticides [2]. This has provided higher premium prices and contributed to its expansion in developing countries through the use of recycled natural resources [3]. Soil organic matter (OM) and electrical conductivity (EC) were the key edaphic factors affecting soil bacterial ecology in GH cultivation and driving management strategies to improve bacterial diversity and fruit production [9].
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