2019 ASHS Annual Conference

Most of Cambodia agricultural lands are lowland with low soil fertility; thus, there is a limitation for crop productivity. Living mulches and nutrient management strategies are important practices to improve soil and crop productivity. Our field study was carried out at two provinces in Cambodia (Siem Reap and Battambang), followed by two cropping cycles. The objective of this study was to assess the impacts of various living mulches and nutrient sources on growth, yield and yield components of chili pepper. The trials were conducted in split-plot design with four replications consisting of two factors (mulches and nutrient source). The main plot (mulch) treatments were: bare ground, Arachis pintoi, morning glory, and straw mulch. The sub-plot treatments consisted of the fertilizer sources: 1) control, 2) cattle manure, 3) UREA, and 4) cattle manure+UREA. All fertilizers were applied at recommendation rate 133.4 kg N ha^-1. UREA was applied three times per growing cycle with three-week intervals. The result showed that application of cattle manure+UREA associated with rice straw mulching had significant higher in plant height (47.245 cm), fruit weight (1.625g fruit^-1), fruit yield (453.025 kg ha^-1) and SPAD value (50.355) followed by treatment UREA in plant height (47.071cm), fruit weight (1.565g) per fruit, fruit yield (414.74 kg ha^-1) and SPAD value (47.15) in both provinces of the first cycle. In the second cycle, UREA application associated with rice straw mulching resulted in higher plant height (36.35cm), branch number (4 per plant^-1), fruit number (12 plant^-1), fruit yield (82.235 kg ha^-1) and plant biomass (25.325kg ha^-1) followed by cattle manure+UREA in plant height (33.975cm), branch number (3 plant^-1), fruit number (10 plant^-1), fruit yield (71.808 kg ha^-1), and plant biomass (24.22 kg ha^-1) at both location. Growth, yield and yield component of living mulches (Morning glory and A. pintoi) plots were significantly less than others may be due to competition between chili and living mulches due to these systems had mechanism competition between living mulch and chili pepper.