Plant Growth, Fruit Yield, and Quality of Capsicum (Capsicum Annum L.) as Affected by Nitrogen Levels in the Coastal Soil of Bangladesh

Abstract

Though capsicum (Capsicum annum L.) is a high-value crop in Bangladesh, limited cultivation is reported in the coastal zone of Khulna. Moreover, the nitrogen (N) requirement of capsicum for this zone needs to be evaluated. An experiment was administered at the Agrotechnology Field Laboratory of Khulna University, Bangladesh, from 1st December 2020 to 25th March 2021 with the variety ‘California Wonder’ to evaluate the effect of nitrogen on plant growth, fruit yield, and the quality attributes of capsicum. The experiment was fixed following Randomized Complete Block statistical design with five levels of nitrogen (0, 58, 87, 116, and 145 kg N ha-1) and replicated four times. The recommended dose (116 kg N) and the highest dose (145 kg) of N resulted in statistically similar stem diameter, leaf number, leaf chlorophyll index (SPAD readings), yield, fruit diameter and length, vitamin C, and total soluble solid (TSS). Only plant height was statistically higher with the highest N level compared to the recommended level of N. However, numerically higher leaf number, chlorophyll index, yield and vitamin C content were recorded from the recommended dose of N and importantly, the recommended level of N resulted in 12% higher yield compared to the highest dose of N. Therefore, the application of 116 kg N ha-1 can achieve the optimum yield of capsicum in the Khulna region, and excessive N application did not increase the yield of bell pepper. However, more experiments should be conducted to recommend the optimal nitrogen dose for capsicum cultivation in the Khulna region of Bangladesh.