Growth and productivity of bell pepper grown in vases in a protected environment with different irrigation managements

Abstract

Abstract

The main objective of this study was to assess the feasibility of different irrigation management methods for growing bell pepper in vases under protected conditions in Ibiapaba, Ceará. The experiment was conducted in a protected environment, in the experimental area of the Instituto Agropolos do Ceará, in São Benedito-CE. To this end, four irrigation methodologies were evaluated to quantify the volume of water to be replenished in the pots: M1: based on drainage micro-lysimeters (reference methodology); M2: based on the area of the vase; M3: based on the plant stand per hectare; and M4: based on the volume of the vase, under a randomized block design, with four replications. In addition to the total volume of water applied by each method, the following variables were assessed: plant height, stem diameter, leaf size, aerial and root biomass, and yields. The use of methodologies M3 and M1 resulted in greater plant heights, stem diameters, accumulations of aerial part biomass, and yields of bell pepper. The M2 and M4 methodologies underestimated the volume demanded from the micro-lysimeter, while the M3 methodology overestimated it. The adjustment coefficients of the other methods about the volume demanded from the micro-lysimeter were 5.43, 0.49, and 9.18, for methods M2, M3, and M4, respectively.