EFFECTS OF ORGANIC SOIL AMENDMENTS FOR GROWTH, YIELD, AND FRUIT CONTENTS OF HOT PEPPER (Capsicum frutescens L.)

Jenny P. Lorio, and Gilda S. De Asis

ABSTRACT

          Hot pepper is a widely-used vegetable and spice crop due to its flavor and pungent taste, rich nutritive value, and medicinal uses. Its capsaicinoids content, which caused the pungency, is known to have antiinflammatory, anti-oxidant, and medicinal properties. A field experiment evaluated the growth, yield, and fruit quality of organically grown hot pepper Tinghala variety. It was laid-out using Randomized Complete Block Design with twelve treatments and three replications of soil amendments with organic sources. The results indicated that growth variations were significant (p<0.05) at different periods with the effects of VC+Calphos+FFJ, VC+FPJ, and VC significantly highest at the early stages of plant development. The number of days to flowering and percent fruit set varied significantly, but the days to fruit set remained the same. The different fertilization caused significant effects on the yield performance of hot pepper (p<0.05), with the VC+Calphos providing the highest in the total number of fruits per plant, total weight, and economic yield. The capsaicinoid content in fruits was highest in VC+Calphos+FFJ but, the differences across treatments were insignificant. The nitrogen, organic matter, and pH contents of soil slightly improved while potassium decreased. Phosphorus significantly increased with organic fertilization. Organic soil amendments, therefore, can be a viable option for hot pepper production.

Keywords - Capsaicinoids content; Capsicum frutescens; fruit quality; organic soil amendments; soil analysis.

Download

Related Articles