Title: Effect of Foliar Application of Micro-nutrient and Soil Condition on Growth and Yield of Sweet Pepper (Capsicum annuum L.)
Abstract: Sweet pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) is a main crop of Solanaceae family.Pepper (Capsicum annuum) is most susceptible to drought among horticultural crops.From many studies it is clear that limited water supply, during pepper growth, has negative effect on yield.Adequate irrigation during entire growth period is necessary for good yields.With scarce availability of water, the farmer must find a combination of management practices and varietals approach to overcome this problem.The present study was conducted to evaluate a suitable foliar application of calcium and potassium to alleviate drought stress in bell pepper.The research was carried out in the experimental area, PMAS-Arid Agriculture University, Rawalpindi, during the year 2012.A pot experiment was conducted in the green house to study the effect of foliar applied different concentrations (5, 10 and 15 mM) of calcium chloride and potassium chloride to alleviate drought stress in bell pepper plants.Both experiments were conducted according to CRD (completely randomized design).Calcium and potassium significantly improved all parameters, i.e., photosynthesis rate, transpiration rate, leaf free proline, leaf osmotic potential, fruits weight, etc. Calcium chloride at 10 mM showed better results than other treatments under normal irrigation while calcium chloride at 15 mM showed better results under drought conditions.So, it may be concluded from present study that drought tolerance in bell pepper could be improved by foliar application of calcium and potassium chlorides.