Influence of different protected structures on growth, yield and severity of powdery mildew of capsicum (<em>Capsicum annuum</em> L.) in semi-arid region

Abstract

Protected cultivation of high value vegetables has tremendous potential and it has been gaining momentum from the last decade. With the progress of economy and the advent of improved technologies in agriculture, protected cultivation is being given lot of impetus. An experiment was conducted to investigate the influence of different protected structures on growth and yield of capsicum cv. Indira, in semi-arid region during 2017-18 and 2018-19 in the fields of AICRP on Plasticulture Engineering Technology, Raichur, University of Agricultural Sciences, Raichur. There were four treatments with five replications in the experiment consisting of different protective structures i.e., polyhouse, shade net and sides opened shade net with open field condition as a control. Protective structures had remarkable and significant influence on plant growth and yield parameters of capsicum. The capsicum grown under polyhouse exhibited higher plant height (71.67 cm), number of branches (13.90), number of leaves (75.56), rind thickness (0.55 cm) and chlorophyll content (92.16%), with maximum yield (2.70 kg/plant & 85.39 t/ha). On contrary, the mean per cent severity of powdery mildew was more under open field condition (52.60) followed by poly house condition (48.40), whereas the severity of powdery mildew is less in closed shade net (16.00) and sides opened shade net (16.40). Added to this, the water and fertilizer use efficiency was more in polyhouse compared to other structures and open condition. The results indicated that there is a bright scope for cultivation of capsicum under polyhouse.