The Effect of Mycorrhiza Fungi and Various Mineral Fertilizer Levels on the Growth, Yield, and Nutritional Value of Sweet Pepper (Capsicum annuum L.)

Abstract

Mycorrhizal fungi can increase the effectiveness of a mineral fertilizer top dressing, positively affecting sweet pepper yield and quality. For this reason, an experiment was carried out between 2014 and 2016 to study the effect of top dressing doses and the inoculation of the root system with mycorrhizal fungi on the growth and yield of sweet pepper and the content of nutrients and macro- and microelements in the fruits. Root inoculation with Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi (AMF) and mineral fertilizer doses were used as experimental factors with the following combinations: (1) mycorrhization: control (without AMF); AMF applied to the plant root zone during seedling production; AMF applied to the plant root zone after seedlings were transferred to pots; (2) top dressing doses: basic dose (100%); 50% of the basic dose; 25% of the basic dose. The sweet pepper fruits were harvested during physiological maturity. AMF inoculation of the root zone resulted in high sweet pepper yields of good quality. In particular, mycorrhizal fungi applied to the root system during seedling production positively affected the pepper yield and biometric characteristics, with fruits of the thickest pericarp and the largest mass. In the experimental units with AMF, the reduction in the top dressing fertilizer dose by 50% and 75% did not cause a statistically significant decrease in the yield of peppers and did not result in a deterioration of the biometric characteristics of the plants and fruits or a reduction in the biological value of the fruits. Despite the reduction in top dressing dose by 50% and 75%, AMF contributed to the accumulation of similar amounts of phosphorus in the sweet pepper fruits. The top dressing dose of 50% applied during seedling production to the experimental units with mycorrhizal fungi resulted in a significant increase in the content of potassium, calcium, and magnesium. A significant increase in the amount of sodium in the fruits was noted in the experimental units with mycorrhizal fungi applied to the roots when the seedlings were transferred to pots. To summarize, the application of mycorrhizal fungi to the pepper root zone during seedling production is recommended because it has a positive effect on the yield and its quality. In the unit with mycorrhiza, a lower dose of mineral fertilizers did not result in a significant decrease in the yield of pepper fruits.

Enhancing the Agronomic Performance of Potassium Fertilizer and Potassium-Bearing Minerals in Sandy Loam Soil by Adding Humic Acids and Mycorrhiza

“…From the obtained results, the treatments of mycorrhizal inoculation and humic acid significantly increased plant growth parameters, yield, and harvest index, but the mycorrhizal inoculation combined with humic acid had better effects on growth parameters. The positive effects of mycorrhizal inoculation and humic acids on plant growth were also confirmed by prior studies (Franczuk et al, 2023;Khafagi et al, 2018;Khan et al, 2018;Sadhana, et al 2014). Understanding the role of humic acids on crop performance has been reviewed by Ampong et al (2022), revealing that HA application has potentially significant effects on crop agronomic performance and soil quality parameters.…”

Integrated Use of Vermicompost and Biofertilizers to Enhance Growth, Yield and Nutrient Content of Tomato Grown Under Organic Conditions

“…So, the synergic effect of using vermicompost with the biofertilizers may result from providing the tomato plants, particularly those grown in sandy soil (Table 2) with the essential soluble nutrients from vermicompost, Phosphate-solubilizing bacteria, Vascular arbuscular mycorrhizal, and secreting stimulating substances such as auxins, cytokinins, gibberellins, amino acids and vitamins from vermicompost and Azotobacter, beside increasing the performance of the plant under biotic and abiotic stresses. The stimulative effect on yield, mineral content, chlorophyll contents, and yield were previously reported by Nanjundappa et al (2019), Ziane, et al (2021), Franczuk et al (2023 The treatments of Vermi + Azoto + Azos + PSB, Vermi + Azoto + Azos +VAM, and Vermi + Azoto + Azos + PSB + VAM significantly increased equatorial diameter and significantly improved fruit quality, showing the highest values of total sugar, TSS, ascorbic acid, and lycopene, but they reduced ß-carotene. The present results are in agreement with the previous findings which showed that strawberry plants fertilized with Azotobacter at 7 kg/ha produced berries with maximum width, TSS total sugars, and ascorbic acid with minimum titratable acidity in comparison to other treatments (Anurag and Tripathi, 2020).…”

“…Inoculations with P-solubilizing bacteria and mycorrhizal fungi significantly increased vitamin C in tomato fruits (Chouyia et al, 2022). Mycorrhiza application resulted in significant changes in the total sugar content of pepper fruits (Franczuk et al, 2023). Similarly, using sand: vermicompost (2:1) + Azotobactor increased TSS and ascorbic acid in strawberry fruits as compared with sand alone (Reddy et al, 2023).…”

“…These biofertilizers were harnessed as an economical and environmentally amicable fertilizer option, frequently through their combined application with chemical fertilizers (Kumar et al, 2022). The studies of the combination use of bio and chemical fertilizers included pepper (Raturi et al, 2019;Franczuk et al, 2023), strawberry (Kumar et al, 2019), and tomato (Reddy et al, 2018and Ahmed et al, 2022.…”

Morpho-Physiological Assessment of Tomato and Bell Pepper in Response to Nutrient Restriction

“…The cultivation of bell pepper and tomato has been steadily increasing due to the growing public demand. Pepper and tomato fruits are a rich source of minerals, vitamins, and antioxidants, including carotenoids (β-carotenoids and lycopene) and vitamins (A, C, and E) [2,3]. These compounds have been reported to help in preventing not only cancer but also cardiovascular diseases [4].…”