Abstract

GIL-MARIN, José A; MONTANO-MATA, Nelson J  and  PLAZA, Ramiro. Effect of irrigation and plastic mulch over productivity of two sweet pepper cultivars. Bioagro [online]. 2012, vol.24, n.2, pp.143-148. ISSN 1316-3361.

The experiment was performed in the irrigation system of sector Peru-San Vicente, Maturin municipality, Monagas State, to determine the most appropriate irrigation depth in two cultivars of sweet pepper (Capsicum chinense Jacq.) under soil coverage. Drip irrigation (a drip per plant with a flow rate of 1.2 L·h^-1) was used to evaluate four irrigation levels for the cultivars Peru 92 and Diamond, with or without the use of soil plastic mulch. The irrigation levels were 60%, 70%, 80% and 100 % of the crop evapotranspiration (ET_c) calculated as a function of the crop coefficients and reference evapotranspiration (ET₀). The ET₀ was estimated as 75 % of the type A evaporation pan. A split-split plot design was used in randomized blocks with three replications, where the main plot was represented by the cultivars, the sub-plot for the soil coverage (plastic mulch or bare soil) and the sub-subplot for the irrigation level. Plants were spaced 0.33 x 1.00 m. The weight of fruit, fruit number per plant and yield was tested. The highest fruit yield was produced by the cultivar Peru 92 with the irrigation 80 % ET_c with the use of plastic mulch, which suggests that the yield of sweet pepper could increase up to 60 % under those conditions.

Keywords : Evaporation pan; evapotranspiration; water use efficient; irrigation depth.