Journal of Animal and Plant Sciences
J. Anim. Plant Sci. [ISSN 2071 - 7024]
Volume 5 (1): 414 - 424. Published November 23, 2009.
Effect of naturally occurring amino acid stimulants on the growth and yield of hot peppers (Capsicum annum L.)
Dinnoo Yuckmila Sarojnee*, Boodia Navindra^* and Sembhoo Chandrabose**
*Faculty of Agriculture, University of Mauritius, Réduit, Mauritius; **Agricultural Extension Services, Agricultural Research and Extension Unit, St Pierre, Mauritius.
^Corresponding author: E-mail: n.boodia@uom.ac.muSUMMARY
Commercially available amino acid stimulants can improve fertiliser assimilation, increase uptake of nutrients and water, enhance the photosynthetic rate and dry matter partitioning, and hence increase crop yield. This study was conducted to assess the efficacy of two commercial formulations of naturally occurring amino acid stimulants (Perfectose™ Powder and Perfectose™ Liquid) at two different doses on hot pepper plants (Capsicum annum L.) cv. ‘F1 Asha Jyothi’. Perfectose™ Powder applied at 0.45g and 0.27g/plant, in the first and second fertilizer dressings respectively, produced a significant increase (p<0.05) in plant height, canopy diameter, number of branches, shoot dry matter, fruit length, fruit diameter, % fruit dry matter content, ascorbic acid content and marketable yield. Shoot dry matter accumulated was 54.9 and 54.1 % higher under Perfectose™ Powder (0.45g/plant) than in the untreated control treatment at 27 and 40 days after transplanting (DAT), respectively. Plants treated with Perfectose™ Powder (0.45g/plant) resulted in a marketable yield of 16.5 t/ha, being 75.9% higher than in the untreated control plants. Compared to the untreated control plants, Perfectose™ Liquid (1.6mL/L) also resulted in significant (p<0.05) increases of plant height, canopy diameter, number of branches, shoot dry matter, fruit length, fruit diameter, % fruit dry matter content and ascorbic acid content. No significant differences (p>0.05) were observed when Perfectose™ Liquid was applied at 1.0ml/L. This study supports the application of naturally-occuring amino acid stimulants to promote plant growth and marketable yield, as a promising and sustainable option for farmers to maximise the yield of hot peppers.
Key words
Capsicum annum L., amino acid stimulants, vegetative growth, yield
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