Evaluation of hot pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) cultivars for growth and dry pod yields against different blended fertilizer and nitrogen rates in raya Azebo, Southern Tigray

Abstract

Hot pepper (Capsicum annum L.) is the most widely cultivated and economically important crop. However, its production and productivities are constrained by different factors in which Cultivar and fertilizer level are the major ones. Thus, the experiment was conducted on two hot pepper cultivars (Melka Shote and Melka Awaze) and six rates NPSZn + urea; to determine the growth and yield response of hot pepper cultivars to different levels NPSZn + urea and interaction effect of both factors. A factorial RCBD (2*6) was used for the experiment and each treatment was replicated thrice. Growth, penological and yield data were collected and and analyzed using SAS version 9.3. ANOVA revealed that plant height, days to first harvest, total leaf area, leaf area index, number of pods plant-1, marketable, unmarketable and total dry pod yield and pod length were significantly (p