The Effect of Osmotic Potential of Nutrient Solution on the Yield of Hungarian Wax Pepper (Capsicum annuum L.)

In Mexico, production of Hungarian wax pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) has grown significantly in recent years. The objective was to evaluate the effect of the osmotic potential of the nutrient solution on the yield of Hungarian wax pepper ‘Inferno’ (Seminis^®). The experiment was set up in a greenhouse with plastic cover located in Xalisco, Nayarit, in western Mexico during Fall 2012 – Winter 2013. The substrate used was red volcanic rock (locally called tezontle) of 1-7 mm. Plants were watered three times daily with Steiner nutrient solution with electric conductivity of 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, and 2.5 dS·m^-1, corresponding to an osmotic potential of 0.018, 0.036, 0.054, 0.072, and 0.090 MPa, respectively. The experimental unit was a potted plant, a completely randomized design with 5 replications was used and commercial fruit yield per plant up to 140 days after transplantation was evaluated. With osmotic potential of 0.036 MPa of nutrient solution the highest yield per plant (1,910 g) was obtained.