Yield and fruit quality of sweet pepper depending on foliar application of calcium

Authors: HALINA BUCZKOWSKA, ZENIA MICHALOJC, RENATA NURZYNSKA-WIERDAK

Abstract: The proper feeding of field plants is one of the most significant factors with an impact on their growth and development. Calcium is one of the basic nutrients of plants, crucial in many cell processes. Calcium in a plant is reutilized very poorly, and hence symptoms of deficiency of this component are observed on the youngest leaves, apexes of stems and roots, and, most importantly, on the fruits. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of foliar Ca feeding on the yield of sweet pepper 'Caryca F₁' and on selected elements of its fruit quality in field ground cultivation. Ca was applied in the form of the following preparations: Ca(NO₃)₂, Insol Ca, or Librel Ca. Calcium preparations were applied on 3 or 5 dates in 1% concentration of the solution to the full wetting of the plants. A positive influence of Ca feeding on the marketable yield of the fruit was observed: 4.26-4.63 kg m^-2 as compared with the controls at 3.80 kg m^-2. Calcium foliar feeding caused a limited number of fruits with BER symptoms at 4.3%-5.2% of the total number of fruits, as compared with 14.4% of those of the control fruits. The use of Ca(NO₃)₂ had a positive effect on the accumulation of vitamin C and carotenoids as compared with other fertilizers. Reduced Ca spraying proved to be beneficial in terms of fruit yield and concentrations of carotenoids.

Keywords: Vegetables, Capsicum annuum L., calcium preparations, blossom-end rot, L-ascorbic acid

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