Performance of sweet pepper (Capsicum annum) varieties and economics under protected and open field conditions in Uttarakhand

*Short note 1 Senior Scientist, 2Principal Scientist and Incharge (e mail: drbsingh@yahoo.co.in), Centre for Protected Cultivation Technology; 3Post Doctoral Fellow (e mail: ramwantgupta@yahoo.com), Division of Seed Science and Technology season especially March to October. Two sets of factors were selected for the study, viz. varieties (five sweet pepper varieties i e California Wonder (an open variety), Bharat, Indum 5, US 181 and Tanvi—all hybrids and methods of cultivation (four technology viz, polyhouse, poly-tunnels, poly-mulching and open field condition). These two factors were combined to form 80 treatments with four replications during both the year. The experiment was laid out in RBD design. Seedlings of all varieties were raised under poly-tunnel conditions. Seedlings of 45 days old were transplanted at 50 cm × 30 cm spacing during second week of March in both the years. Irrigation and fertigation was provided to crop through low pressure drip irrigation system. Recommended standard agronomical package of practices were followed. Farmyard manure was applied as basal dose @ 3kg /m2 in all treatment plots 20 days prior to transplanting. One-fourth amount of nitrogen and whole amount of phosphorus and potash fertilizers was applied as basal dose before transplanting in combination of 50+100+25g/m2 in form of urea, SSP and potash at last preparation time of plots and remaining nitrogen was applied in three to four splits doses @ 0.5 g/litre of water. Urea was used in fertigation around root zone of plants in each plots. The data were recorded from randomly selected three tagged plants of each plot/replication. The yield attributes viz, no. of fruits/plant, fruit diameter (cm), fruit weight (kg/ plant) and fruit yield (kg/m2) were recorded. Data on incidence of diseases and mortality was also recorded. The cost of cultivation (`/m2), gross income/m2, net income/m2, and cost benefit ratio were calculated. The statistical analysis (ANOVA) for the above parameters of both years were carried out using random block design (RBD). Maximum crop duration (270 days) was recorded in sweet pepper under polyhouse conditions along with maximum fruit diameter (6.91 cm), maximum no. of fruits/ plant (47), highest individual fruit weight (62.17 g), average fruits weight (2.91 kg/plant), yield (17.48 kg/m2), gross returns (` 349.68/m2), net returns (` 281.45 /m2) and cost : benefit ratio 1.0: 5.5 in all five varieties, followed by Sweet pepper [Capsicum annum L. var. Grossum (L) Sendt] is one of the important vegetable crops which require mild climate for its growth and development. The fruits are harvested either at green mature stage or at colouring stage and is a very good source of vitamin A and C and other nutrients having great demand in big cities and other urban areas of the country and fetch very high price. Prevailing night low temperature, energy, high rainfall, hailfall, frost, waterlogging, higher relative humidity and cold wind are limiting factors for growing sweet pepper under open field conditions in hills of Uttarakhand. To make its cultivation successful, polyhouses, poly-tunnels and plastic-mulching are most suitable solutions (Chandra et al. 2000 and Singh et al.2004 and 2010). Protected structures act as physical barrier and play a key role in integrated pest management by preventing spreading of insects, pests and viruses causing severe damage to the crop (Singh et al. 2003). In addition these structures facilitate the utilization of nutrients from soil for longer duration (Singh et al. 2005a, 2005b, Singh 2003). Very limited information is available for growing sweet pepper through protected technology under Uttarakhand condition. Therefore, present study was conducted with an objective to evaluate technical feasibility of protected technology and suitable hybrids for obtaining maximum yield, economic gain and to minimize biotic and abiotic stresses for sweet pepper crop under prevailing conditions of Uttarakhand. Experiments were conducted during 2007–2009 at the Research Farm and Extension Centre, Lohaghat (Champawat) of G.B.P.U.A.&T. Pantnagar (Uttarakhand) under protected and open field (unprotected) conditions. Lohaghat is located in district Champawat, at an altitude of 1 800–2 100 m sea level sloppy mountains with low snowfall during growing