Effects of shading material on the growth, yield and quality of green pepper (Capsicum annum L.) grown under hot and humid climatic conditions

Abstract

Green pepper (Capsicum annum L.) is one of the most popular vegetables in the Kingdom of Eswatini, with its production mainly under irrigation in open fields. Shade nets are used to modify the crop micro-environment to improve plant growth and yield. This experiment was conducted at Mphaphati, under Eswatini Water and Agricultural Development Enterprises, (ESWADE) in the summer of January and April 2018. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of plastic and net covered tunnels on the growth, yield and quality of green pepper (Capsicum annum var. Crusader L.). Shading materials were used white fiber plastic tunnel, green net tunnel (40%) and black net tunnel (40%). The treatments were arranged in Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three replications. The results revealed that plants grown under the green net covered tunnel significantly (P