Yield and morphological attributes of bell pepper fruits under biological fertilizers and application times

Abstract

Bell pepper (Capsicum annuum) is one of the most consumed vegetables around the world. Balanced fertilization is essential for growing this vegetable. The objective of this study was to evaluate the yield and morphological attributes of bell pepper under doses and times of application of biological fertilizers. Two experiments were carried out with applications of biological fertilizers prepared from manure and enriched organic compounds with cattle manure and sheep manure. The experimental design was a randomized complete block design, in a 4 x 3 + 1 factorial scheme, with three replications, referring to doses of biological fertilizers (100, 200, 300 and 400 L ha-1), times of application (0, 30 and 60 days after transplanting – DAT) and control. The evaluated variables were: total fruit weight (TFW), number of commercial fruits (NCF), number of non-commercial fruits (NNCF), fruit weight (FW), fruit diameter (FD), fruit length (FL), resistance of fruit peel (RFP), number of flower buds (NFB) and productivity (P). Biological fertilizers caused positive effects on TFW, NCF, FW and P of bell pepper. The application of cattle manure at 60 DAT and sheep manure at 30 DAT promoted a larger fruit diameter. The FW, FL and RFP were influenced by the doses and times of application of biological fertilizers. The application of biofertilizers is efficient in the production of bell pepper.