Productivity and Post-Harvest Fungal Resistance of Hot Pepper as Affected by Potassium Silicate, Clove Extract Foliar Spray and Nitrogen Application

Abstract

In the present study, growth and productivity of hot pepper planted in the two successive summer seasons of 2017 and 2018 were evaluated under the effect of foliar spray of variable doses of potassium silicate (PS), and clove water extract (CWE) with different rates of nitrogen (N) fertilization application. The post-harvest resistance of hot pepper fruits to Alternaria alternata fungal infection, was also evaluated. Maximum plant height was achieved with the application of the highest rates of N, PS and CWE, while the intermediate rates were sufficient to reach the maximum number of branches, the highest leaf dry matter and chlorophyll accumulation. Fruit yield progressively increased with increasing the applied N rate. The foliar application of PS and CWE exerted a limited, yet positive effect on fruit yield. Generally, the least amount of fruit yield, amounting to 18.84 and 18.00 t ha−1, resulted from the application of the lowest N rate (144 kg ha−1) in the absence of PS and CWE. The highest significant fruit yield, amounting to 31.71 and 31.22 t ha−1, for 2017 and 2018, respectively, accompanied the application of the maximum levels of the three factors. The application of high N rates increased the post-harvest Alternaria fruit rot severity. The positive effect of CWE application in counterbalancing the negative effects associated with the high rates of N and PS may be related to the presence of phenolic and flavonoid compounds ellagic acid, benzoic acid, catechol gallic acid, rutin, myricetin, quercetin, apigenin and kaempferol as identified by High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC).

Impact of Commercial Seaweed Liquid Extract (TAM®) Biostimulant and Its Bioactive Molecules on Growth and Antioxidant Activities of Hot Pepper (Capsicum annuum)

“…The schedule of fertigation system was in accordance with the recommendations of the Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation of Egypt for the commercial production of Hot Pepper C. annuum (Omega F1 cv.) [ 31 ], as presented in Table 3 .…”

“…Genus Capsicum is a part of the family Solanaceae , which includes several high-value vegetables such as; tomatoes, potatoes, and eggplants among more than 90 genera and 2500 species of flowering plants [ 31 ]. This genus is native to tropical and subtropical America in a wide area, including; Mexico and northern Central America [ 32 ], the Caribbean, the lowlands of Bolivia, the northern lowlands of Amazonia, and the Southern Andes mid-elevation, where archeological evidence indicates that this category of crops has been used since 6000 BC [ 33 , 34 ].…”

Impact of Seaweed Liquid Extract Biostimulant on Growth, Yield, and Chemical Composition of Cucumber (Cucumis sativus)

“…After transplanting, ammonium nitrate (33% N, as a source of nitrogen) was added at the rate of 10 kg/100 m 2 /12 weeks; phosphoric acid (61.5% P 2 O 5 , as a source of phosphorus) was injected at the rate of 1.85 L/100 m 2 /12 weeks, and potassium sulfate (48% K 2 O, as a source of potassium) was added at the rate of 8 kg/100 m 2 /12 weeks. A schedule of NPK fertigation applied in the current study for cucumber grown in loamy soil under greenhouse [51,52] is presented in Table 4. One hundred days after sowing, ten plants from each experimental unit were randomly chosen for the vegetative growth measurable values of plant height (from soil surface to the top of the plant in cm) and number of leaves.…”

Post-Harvest Enhancing and Botrytis cinerea Control of Strawberry Fruits Using Low Cost and Eco-Friendly Natural Oils

“…Radial colony growth (cm) was registered three times: 2, 5 and 7 days after inoculation (DAI) and incubated at 25 • C for 7 days until the growth in the control plates (without any treatment) reached the edge of the plates. Then, the antifungal index (AI) of the treatments was calculated as follows [49]:…”