Agronomical Response and Water Use Efficiency of Sweet Pepper Plants Grown in Different Greenhouse Substrates

Abstract

<jats:p>An experiment was carried out to assess the influence of three types of substrate on the growth and yield of sweet pepper (<jats:italic>Capsicum annuum</jats:italic> L.). Plants were grown during three cycles (2005, 2006, and 2007) in coconut coir dust (CC), urea formaldehyde foam (UF), and rice hull (RH) amended with polyacrylamide gel (water absorber). Growth parameters, dry weight (DW) of vegetative and generative parts, intercepted radiation, water uptake, total fruit yield, and quality parameters were analyzed. Plant height, total leaf fresh weight, and stem diameter were higher in CC and lower for the RH substrate, which also showed lower yields and fruit quality. Accumulated dry matter was modeled according to water uptake and substrate using a linear function. Upper and lower limits in water use efficiency, between 2.5 and 5.7 g DW/L, are linked to the irrigation strategies and crop seasons. Light use efficiency (LUE) under different conditions was also determined to predict plant dry matter and a unique value was obtained for the three substrates (LUE = 0.91 g/MJ). Three different irrigation strategies were proposed for each substrate as a function of intercepted radiation and defining an α coefficient (expressed in mm/m<jats:sup>2</jats:sup>/MJ) that coupled crop and climate components. These crop characterization and prediction tools could help to optimize plant growth and yield for environmentally friendly substrates.</jats:p>

Effects of postharvest treatments on fruit quality of sweet pepper at low temperature

“…Each bag had three plants with three 4 L h −1 drippers. Irrigation management was according to local commercial soilless cultivation and the drainage percentage was maintained at 30% 26. The pH of the nutrient solution was maintained between 5.6 and 6.0.…”

Interactive Effects of CO2 Concentration and Water Regime on Stable Isotope Signatures, Nitrogen Assimilation and Growth in Sweet Pepper

“…The final aim of this study is to produce a single conceptual model, integrating different key physiological traits, that explains the variability in sweet pepper biomass due to growing conditions and genotypic variability. To that end, plants were grown under hydroponic conditions at a relatively low light intensity and mild to moderate water stress, resembling the growing conditions usually experienced, in a mild Mediterranean climate, by sweet pepper plants within commercial plastic/polycarbonate greenhouses adapted to CO 2 fertilization and which often include a shadow sheet (Dueck et al, 2006 ; del Amor and Gómez-López, 2009 ; del Amor et al, 2010 ; Pérez-Jiménez et al, 2016 ).…”

Study of fat compost from dairy industry wastewater as a new substrate for pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) crop

“…Like other vegetable crops, peppers (Capsicum annuum L.) can be cultivated on conventional substrates such as perlite, rockwool, sand, and other soilless systems, which have replaced the traditional crop grown in agricultural soil in the greenhouse (Zhai et al, 2009;Díaz-Pérez and Camacho-Ferre, 2010). Increasing awareness of the adverse economic and environmental impacts of conventional substrates has stimulated the interest in using organic wastes and agricultural by-products as substrates in soilless culture (Del Amor and Gómez-López, 2009;Lin et al, 2009). On the other hand, there has not been found evidence on the utilization of fat compost to provide organic amendment.…”