Research Regarding the Interaction Genotype x Technological Factors in Morphological Features of Chilli Pepper Cultivated in Solaria at the Experimental Station of Timisoara, Romania

Abstract

Abstract The history of bell pepper started 3,000-4,000 years ago, in Peru, in the old Inca Empire, whose civilisation used to practice a flowering agriculture. In a museum of Lima, Peru, they exhibited bell pepper fruits old a few thousand years and vases representing plants and bell peppers found during archaeological findings in Inca tombs. Experiments carried out during 2014-2015 had a polyfactorial character; variants were set after the randomised block method with three replicates specific to experiments in forced protected areas of vegetable culture. Factor A (cultivar) with 5 graduations: a1 – Delibab F1; a2 – Slager F1; a3 – Bolero F1; a4 – SJD 5; a5 – SJN 5. Factor B (planting scheme) with 4 graduations: b1 – 40+80x20cm → 8,3 plants/m2; b2 – 40+80x30cm → 5,5 plants/m2; b3 – 40+80x40cm → 4,2 plants/m2; b4 – 40+80x50cm → 3,3 plants/m2. Unilateral statistic evaluation of the influence of genotype and of plant density on fruit length is distinctly significant on the background of significant influence of environmental conditions during the experimental years. Changing the planting distance per row from 20 to 30 and to 50cm resulted in significant increase of fruit length of 8-18%. The combined effect of genotype and plant density had considerable influences (18.81%) on fruit diameter, a value that is distinctly significant. The bell pepper hybrid Bolero and the bell pepper line SJD 5 cultivated at a plant density of 8.3 plants/m2 (80/40x20cm) produce pulp thickness superior to that of the experimental mean.