engleski

Soil Mulching and Irrigation in Bell Pepper Growing

The Mediterranean area of Croatia is known for its vegetable production, but also for shortage of water for irrigation in the warmest period of the year. The introductions of film for soil mulching and irrigation by dripping represent an improvement in pepper cultivation. Our research involved three types of mulches (black PE-film, transparent photodegradable PE-film, paper) and two irrigation systems (dripping and sprinkling). The trial was arranged in accordance with split-plot design in three replications. The mean decade soil temperatures at 10 cm depth in the month of May and June, were 1.5 to 3.5 oC higher under the black film, and 1 to 2 oC lower under the paper, in relation to soil temperatures without mulching. Depending on the type of mulching and irrigation method, eight weeks after the planting, the height of plants was up to 91% higher in 1995, and up to 29% higher in 1996, than the height of the green pepper cultivated without mulching but with sprinkling irrigation. In both years at the same time, there was the smallest number of fruit set per plant, in the crop without mulching, and irrigated by spinkling. In relation to the usual pepper cultivation method, the yield of the marketable fruit grown under these other methods of growing, was higher for 14 ut to 89% in 1995, and for 30 to 99% in 1996 year. In the first two harvest weeks with PE-film mulching, the realized yield of up to 128% in 1995, and up to 115% in 1996 year was higher, than the yield for the whole harvest period under conventional green pepper growing method.

bell pepper (Capsicum annuum L.), soil mulching, irrigation, plant height, fruit setting, yield

Our best thanks are due to companies: Vrana, Hrvatske vode, Danon, Maservice, INA Zagrebplast, INA Petrokemija and INA Polimeri, for their help and support for subject design to come true.