Effect of Different Potting Medium on Growth and Yield Performances of Capsicum under Organic and Inorganic Management

Abstract

A pot experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of different potting medium on growth and yield performances of capsicum (Capsicum annum var. Hungarian Yellow Wax) under organic and inorganic management conditions. The experiment was carried out in Completely Randomized Design (CRD) with six replicates. Four potting medium combinations; cattle manure: topsoil 2:1, compost: topsoil 2:1, leaf mould: topsoil 2:1, topsoil only were used under organic and inorganic managements as treatments. For inorganic management, all management practices were uniformly performed based on the recommendations of Department of Agriculture, while for the organic management, farmers adopted practices were followed. Growth parameters such as leaf number, number of branches and plant height were measured in biweekly interval and yield parameters such as weight of fruit, length, circumference and average yield per pot were measured after harvesting. ANOVA and Duncan Multiple Range test were used for data analysis. There were significant differences observed in growth parameters; plant height and leaf number among the treatments, but there was no significant difference in number of branches. There were significant differences in yield parameters among the treatments. The highest fruit length, circumference and individual fruit weight were observed in compost: topsoil combination under organic management. The highest average fruit yield per pot was observed in compost: topsoil combination under inorganic management due to the production of higher number of fruits in inorganic management. It can be concluded that under organic management, rooting medium combination of compost: topsoil at the ratio of 2:1 can be recommended for small scale pot cultivation due to eco-friendly cultivation, whereas, under inorganic management, incorporation of compost with soil can be recommended for profitable commercial level cultivation in the field.