CULTIVO DE PIMENTÃO SOB DIFERENTES REGIMES HÍDRICOS JUNTAMENTE COM O USO DE HIDROGEL E SILICATO DE POTÁRSSIO VIA FOLIAR

Abstract

This study was carried out at Goiano Federal Institute, Urutaí Campus, Goiás State, Brazil, from December 2021 to May 2022. Sweet pepper (Capsicum anuum) seedlings were produced, and 128 plants containing 4 to 6 leaves were chosen to be transplanted into the pots. The experimental design was completely randomized in a 4 x 2 factorial system with 4 replicates per treatment. The plants were submitted to four doses of hydrogel solution (0, 100, 300, and 700 mL), four irrigation blades (25%, 50%, 75%, and 100%), and presence or absence of potassium silicate. Biometrics were carried out (plant height and diameter) on the 30th, 60th, 90th, and 120th days after transplanting (DAT). The production parameters, number of fruits per plant, fruit fresh mass, fruit dry mass, and fruit length/diameter were analyzed at the end of each harvest, having been made five harvests during the study. In the first sixty days, the irrigation blades, hydrogel, and silicon application factors had no significant effect on the plant height variable. It was possible to observe that the blade factor shows a difference individually when analyzed on the 90th and on the 120th DAT; the results are better when using the 100% blade, and interactions may occur with other factors on the 120th DAT. No factor showed difference for the diameter until the 30th DAT. It was possible to notice differences for the blade factor on the 60th DAT with the averages of 75% and 100% being equalized. The 100% blade showed the best results on the 90th and on the 120th DAT. The third harvest was the moment in which the largest number of harvested fruits was concentrated, and individually the largest number of fruits was found in treatments with 100% blade, whereas other factors showed no difference for this variable. It is supposed that the plants submitted to water blades of 75% and 100% showed similar means, differing from others, when observing the fruit fresh mass and the fruit dry mass. The fruit length/diameter variables also showed different averages only for the blade factor, highlighting the levels of 100% and 75%. The hydrogel and silicon factors did not show difference separately for any of the variables analyzed in this study.