USING COLORED SHADE NETS AND ORGANIC MULCH TO IMPROVE MICROCLIMATE, GROWTH, AND YIELD OF YELLOW SWEET PEPPER

Abstract

The study was carried out to investigate the effect of using color shade nets and organic mulch on improvement microclimate, growth, yield, and its components and fruit quality of yellow sweet pepper cv. Yellow Star F1 under high temperature. The study was conducted at El- Arish Agriculture Research Station, Agric. Res. Center, North Sinai Governorate, Egypt, during the summer seasons of 2018 and 2019. The results indicated that application of color shade nets modified microclimate around pepper plants where decreased average monthly of air temperature and light intensity; however, increased air relative humidity compared with unshaded. On the other hand, using black, green, and white shade nets combined with dry vegetable residues mulch followed by barley straw mulch reflected the lowest soil temperature at depths 10 and 20 cm in both growing seasons. Also, the results showed that using green shade nets followed by black shade nets combined with dry vegetable residues or barley straw mulches recorded the highest values for a fresh and dry weight of pepper plant organs. Besides, the highest contents of Chlorophyll b in leaves and vitamin C in fruit juice were obtained when covered by green nets combined with dry vegetable residues mulch in both seasons. Also, results revealed that the interaction between shading of yellow fruit pepper plants by black and green color nets with dry vegetable residues mulch significantly increase average fruit weight and total fruit yield for marketable yield compared to the open field without mulching in the first and second season. For that, it is recommended using of shade color nets (Black and green) with organic mulch (dry vegetable residues mulch and/or barley straw mulch) under high-temperature regions for modifying microclimate conditions of pepper plants and soil to improve growth, productivity, and fruit quality traits.