1School of Agriculture, Graphic Era Hill University, Dehradun-248 001, Uttarakhand, India
2Department of Floriculture and Landscape Architecture, College of Horticulture Banda University of Agriculture and Technology, Banda-210 001, Uttar Pradesh, India
3Graphic Era Deemed to University, Dehradun-248 001, Uttarakhand, India
*Corresponding Author: Anita Singh, School of Agriculture, Graphic Era Hill University, Dehradun-248 001, Uttarakhand, India. Email: anitasingh79@rediffmail.com
Capsicum cultivation differs significantly between open fields and protected environments (polyhouses/shade nets), with open-field being lower cost, shorter cycle, prone to weather/pests but yielding lower quality, while protected cultivation involves higher initial investment but offers superior, year-round production, better fruit quality (thicker walls, longer shelf life), efficient resource use and higher profits due to controlled climate, water, nutrients and pest/disease management, making it ideal for red varieties and export markets.
A total of ten nutrient treatments were applied under two different growing environments, following a two-factor completely randomized design (CRD) with three replications. Fifteen key parameters were recorded and analyzed, including days to 50% flowering, days to first fruit set, days to first and last fruit harvest, plant height, fruit length, fruit diameter, fruit weight, number of fruits per plant, dry weight of 100 seeds, yield per plant, yield per hectare (quintal) and ascorbic acid content. Data analysis was carried out using OPSTAT software and Microsoft excel.
A significant increase in the number of fruits per plant was observed under polyhouse conditions, particularly in T7 (22.00) in polyhouse and in open field, T7 and T5 both having (18.66) number of fruits per plant indicating that optimal nutrient application tailored to specific crop needs and growth stages. The highest yield per plant was recorded in T7 (50% RDF + B @ 0.2%+ Ca @ 0.2%) with 3.35 kg, followed by T5 (75% RDF + Ca @ 0.2%) at 3.05 kg, under polyhouse condition. The highest ascorbic acid content was observed in T7 (50% RDF + B @ 0.2% + Ca) with 1.62 mg/ml, followed by T8 (50% RDF + Ca @ 0.2%) with 1.37 mg/ml, under polyhouse conditions. The study underscores the importance of environment-specific nutrient management strategies for maximizing capsicum productivity and quality. These findings contribute valuable insights for horticultural practices and can aid in formulating nutrient schedules for sustainable high-yielding capsicum production.
Capsicum, Cebrail F1, Growth, Nutrients, Openfield, Polyhouse, Quality, Yield
