Growth and Yield Response of Chile Pepper to Trickle Irrigation
1982
Beese, F. | Horton, R. | Wierenga, P. J.
Optimizing rates of water application to irrigated crops is an important method for conserving water in arid areas. Trickle irrigation is one method of applying water to crops with minimal losses. This field study was conducted to determine chile (Capsicum annuum L.) growth and development when irrigated by trickle irrigation at different levels of water application. Chile peppers were grown on a 2-ha field irrigated with a trickle irrigation system. Water application rates of 0.8, 1.2, and 1.4 times a control treatment were maintained from mid-June (74 days after emergence) to maturation in September. Throughout the growing season measurements were made of leaf area index, and of the accumulation of dry matter in stems, leaves, roots, and pods. The data show a clear response of the rate of leaf area development and dry matter production to water application rates. From the start of treatments the dryer treatments had lower rates of leaf area development and dry matter production, resulting in lower final yields of above and below ground plant parts. However, water use efficiencies varied little and were between 8.1 and 8.2 cm actual ET per ton of dry mass production, The results indicate that limiting the water applied to chile during the period of rapid vegetative growth reduces final yield, hut has limited effect on water use efficiency.
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