Application of nitrogen fertilizer on plant density, growth, yield and fruit of bell peppers (Capsicum annuum L.)

The present research was carried out to evaluate response of Bell peppers (Capsicum annuum L.) to plant density and nitrogen fertilizer under field conditions. Plant density at four levels (20×50 cm, 30×50 cm, 20×100 cm and 30×100 cm) and nitrogen treatments at four levels (0, 50, 100 and 150 kg·N·ha-1) were applied. Plant height, lateral stem number, leaf chlorophyll content, yield, and were assessed at immature and mature stages. The results showed that vegetative growth characteristics (plant height, lateral stem number and leaf dry matter) and reproductive factors (fruit volume and fruit weight) decreased with increasing plant density, but total yield (kg·ha-1) increased with increasing plant density. The highest and lowest total yields were obtained by plant density 20×50 cm and 30×100 cm respectively. Nitrogen fertilizer was significantly affected on plant height, lateral stem number and leaf chlorophyll content. It was observed that fertilization with 150 kg·N·ha-1 resulted to the highest fruit volume and plant yield. There were significant differences between fruit volume and fruit weight by interaction between plant density and nitrogen treatments.