Response of Bell Pepper (Capsicum annuum) to Foliar Feeding with Micronutrients and Shoot Pruning

Introduction: An experiment was conducted during the period from October 2012 to April 2013 at Horticulture farm of Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, Dhaka, Bangladesh to evaluate the response of bell pepper with foliar feeding with micronutrients and shoot pruning.

Methods: The experiment consisted of two levels shoot pruning viz., P0­: no shoot pruning & P1: shoot pruning and six levels of foliar applications of micronutrients as; 1. M0: control (water); 2. M1: boron (B) @ 100 ppm as H3BO3; 3. M2: zinc (Zn) @ 100 ppm as ZnSO4; 4. M3: copper (Cu) @ 100 ppm as CuSO4; 5. M4: manganese (Mn) @ 100 ppm as MnSO4 and 6. M5: mixed micronutrients @ 100 ppm each (B, Zn, Cu and Mn). The two factor experiment was laid out in a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three replications.

Results: In case of shoot pruning, the greatest number of marketable fruits per plant (8.70), maximum fruit setting (39.32%) and highest yield (26.60 t/ha) was obtained from shoot pruning and whereas for micronutrients, the greatest number of marketable fruits per plant (9.57), maximum fruit setting (40.53%) and highest yield (29.98 t/ha) elicited by mixed micronutrients with 100 ppm.

Conclusion: Application of shoot pruning with mixed micronutrient with 100 ppm elicited (30.43 t/ha) the highest yield compared to other treatment and seems to be the best combination for bell pepper production.