Response of different NPK fertilizer rates on the growth and yield of two local varieties of pepper (Capsicum annuum L) in Ogoo farm, western area, Sierra Leone

摘要

The overall objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of different rates of NPK on the growth and yield of two local pepper varieties. The trial was conducted at the Kabala Horticultural Crops Research Centre, Ogoo Farm, Freetown from November 2015 to February, 2016 cropping season. The experiment was laid out in a randomized complete block design with three replications using two varieties of local pepper (Small hot pepper and Gbengeh) grown in the Inland Valley Swamp. Almost all parameters measured showed significant differences for the two local pepper varieties with respect to different rates of fertilizer applied. However, small pepper at 4 weeks after transplanting had no significant difference for canopy spread and weight of nonmarketable fruit. For the gbengeh variety, T3 (120 Kg/ha) recorded the highest 100 fruit weight while in the small pepper T4 (150 Kg/ha) had the highest 100 fruit weight. The Control treatment had the least values for all measured parameters. The rate of fertilizer can influence growth and yield of pepper considerably. However, increasing the rate of fertilizer above 120 Kg/ha showed some negative effects on certain parameters. Best fertilizer regimes observed fall between 90 - 120 Kg/ha.