Effect of Plant Density and Shoot Pruning on Fruit Quality Characteristics of two Cultivars of Sweet Pepper

علوم باغبانی

Article 10, Volume 25, Issue 2, October 2011   

Document Type: Research Article

DOI: 10.22067/jhorts4.v1390i0.9990

Authors

Samaneh Seifi^* ; Seyyed Hossein Nemati; Mahmood Shoor; Bahram Abedi

Abstract

Abstract
To study the effect of plant density (2.5, 3 ,3.5 plant. m-2 ) and shoot pruning (no pruning, plant with 3 main stems) on fruit quality characteristics of two sweet pepper cultivars “Tomson” and “Maratos”, a factorial experiment was done in randomized complete block design with 3 replication in greenhouse. The results showed that pruning had significant effect on fruit weight, fruit length, fruit diameter, fruit pericarp thickness and vitamin C. Plant density also had a significant effect on fruit weight. The fruit weight decreased as the plant density increased and was highest in 2.5 plants per m-2 density. In this expriment pruning increased fruit weight, fruit length, fruit diameter, fruit pericarp thickness, and vitamin C and fruit quality was higher in pruning treatment than in no pruning tretment. pH and total soluble solids were not affected by shoot pruning and plant density. Harvest date had a significant effect on vitamin C, total soluble solid, pH. Vitamin C and total soluble solid were the highest in the third harvest.

Keywords: Capsicum annum, Pruning, Density, Fruit quality, Vitamin C