Effect of Irrigation Levels and Soil Amendment on Growth and Yield of Sweet Pepper Crop Under El-Arish Region Conditions

Abstract

Two field experiments were carried out during summer seasons of 2017 and 2018 at the Experimental Farm, Faculty of Environmental Agricultural Sciences, Arish University, Egypt to study the effect of three levels of irrigation (100, 80 and 60% of irrigation water requirement) and three types of soil amendments (without, gypsum and pressed olive cake) and their combinations on growth and yield of sweet pepper (Capsicum annuum L. cv. "Top Star") crop under El-Arish region conditions. Plants were irrigated using drip irrigation system. The highest values of all studied traits; viz., vegetative growth, plant fresh and dry weights, yield of grad A and B and total yield were recorded with using 100 % followed by 80% irrigation level both + pressed olive cake that followed by applying 80% irrigation level + gypsum as soil amendment, respectively in both growing seasons. While the lowest values were obtained by application 60% of water requirements with or without using soil amendments. Define et al. (2000) reported thatCapsicum annum L. is one of the most susceptible crops to water stress because of wide transpiring leaf surface and elevated stomatal openings and yet relatively copious amounts of water may be undesirable in terms of resultant fruit yield and quality. The quality of paprika therefore depends on a moisture regime. Also, Palada and O'Keefe (2001) investigated the response of hot pepper cultivars to levels of drip irrigation in the Virgin Islands and observed increasing yield trends with increasing amounts of irrigation water. In addition, Shaozhong et al. (2001), Ismail et al. (2002) and Dorji et al. (2005) found that under water stress conditions, there were reductions in fruit size, number of fruits and fresh fruit yield.

Comparative effect of different irrigation levels and soil amendments on cabbage productivity in semi‐arid Central Namibia

“…The positive effect of the interaction between full irrigation and different soil amendments is widely documented. For instance, Badawi et al (2020) reported from a two‐season study that the interaction between the 100% irrigation requirement and pressed olive cake gave a significantly higher pepper yield and fresh and dry shoot weights compared with the 60% irrigation requirement in the control treatment. Moreover, 100% of the irrigation requirement with pressed olive cake produced significantly taller plants and more leaves than 60% of the irrigation requirement in the control treatment.…”