OPTIMIZATION OF PLANT AND SHOOT SPACING IN GREENHOUSE PRODUCTION OF SWEET PEPPER

Investigations were made on the effect of increasing plant density (from 1.5 to 8 per 1 m²) while reducting of fruiting ahoots (from 4 to 1), on the vegetative and generative growth of sweet pepper in greenhouse production.
The development of leaf blades, leaf photosynthetic productivity, yeild, and the fruit quality were taken into consideration.
Photosynthically active radiation (PAR) was recorded at different levels of the plants.

With increasing plant density and a corresponding reduction of shoots, accompanied by a constant number of plants per unit area, leaf blades increased and the coverage of soil by the leaf canopy (LAI) was more effective.
The transmittance of PAR in the plant profile was more beneficial with a greater number of loosely trained shoots, associated with wider spacing between the plants, than with plants pruned to one shoot and grown at higher density.
Early and total yields per unit area increased with higher plant density.
The higher total yield was obtained from plants pruned to one shoot and grown at 8 plants/m². The unit productivity of sweet pepper plants was inversely proportional to the increasing density.
No positive correlation was found between the pruning and spacing systems and the quality of sweet pepper fruit of the Bendigo F₁ cultivar.

I International Symposium on Solanacea for Fresh Market

S. Cebula

Capsium annual L. shoot pruning, leaf area, fruit qaulity

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.1995.412.37