Response of Bell Pepper Crop Fertigated with Nitrogen and Potassium Doses in Protected Environment

Roberto Rezende,Marcelo Zolin Lorenzoni

doi:10.4172/2168-9881.1000148

Abstract

Bell pepper is among the ten most economically important vegetables in the country. The proper management of water and fertilizers coupled with protected environment allows to obtain a quality agricultural production. This study aimed to evaluate the response of nitrogen and potassium doses applied through fertigation on the growth and yield of bell pepper crop, Magali R hybrid. A completely randomized design was used, with 16 treatments in a factorial scheme 4×4, with four replications. The treatments resulted from the combination of four doses of nitrogen (0; 73.4; 146.8 and 293.6 kg ha-1) and potassium (0, 53.3; 106.7 and 213.4 kg ha-1). The experimental plot consisted of a 25 L pot with a bell pepper plant. Seven harvests were made throughout the experiment, and fresh fruit number and mass were evaluated. Leaf area (LA) and total matter accumulation were evaluated as growth components. Regardless of the applied potassium doses, the variables LA and total dry matter showed higher results for N ranging from 155 to 194 kg ha-1. The maximum fresh fruit matter (FFM) (1882 g plant-1) occurred at the dose of 155 kg N ha-1 and 106.7 kg K ha-1 and the maximum number of fruits (NF) (16.3 fruits plant-1) was obtained at the dose of 147 kg N ha-1 and 106.7 kg K ha-1.

Highlights

The bell pepper crop (Capsicum annuum L.) belongs to the Solanaceae family
This study aimed to evaluate the growth and yield of bell pepper crop with different doses of nitrogen and potassium via fertigation in protected environment
The experiment was conducted from February 2015 to August 2015 in a protected environment with the dimensions of 20 m long, 7 m wide and 3 m high, located in the Centro Técnico de Irrigação (CTI) of the State University of Maringá (UEM) in Maringá-PR, at the coordinates 23o25’57 ‘’S, 51o57’08’’W and 542 m altitude

Summary

Introduction

The bell pepper crop (Capsicum annuum L.) belongs to the Solanaceae family. In Brazil it is among the ten vegetables of greater economic and social importance. Its fruits have a high content of vitamin C and are consumed raw or ripe, and are used in the manufacture of condiments, pickles and sauces [20]. The use of bell pepper hybrid seeds and cultivation in protected environment are technologies that have been used to improve fruit quality and productivity. Among the vegetables conducted in protected cultivation, the main ones are peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers and leafy vegetables. The practice of cultivation in protected environment is a way to avoid the environmental adversities and may favor the production compared to the crop in the field, in addition to allowing increased cycle [2]

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Results