article · HortTechnology
Greenhouse trials evaluated the impact of foliar sprays of humic and salicylic acids on three red sweet pepper cultivars: Barbero, Ferrari, and Imperio. Treatments were administered at concentrations of 0, 0.5, 1.0, and 1.5 grams per litre at 20, 40, and 60 days following transplanting. Both compounds significantly enhanced vegetative growth, fruit yield, and fruit quality compared to untreated controls, with salicylic acid proving more effective than humic acid. Across all cultivars, applying salicylic acid at 1.5 grams per litre produced the greatest increases in growth, fruit number, dimensions, weights, and quality metrics, including vitamin C, soluble solids, titratable acidity, and total sugars. Cultivar responses varied, with Ferrari demonstrating the highest yield and productivity. In Ferrari, the top salicylic acid treatment yielded fruit with superior weight and flesh thickness, while lifting total yield by 15.9 percent.
Optimising greenhouse crop management through targeted foliar treatments can substantially boost crop yields and enhance key consumer attributes such as fruit size, flesh thickness, and vitamin content. Identifying effective, readily applied substances like salicylic acid helps growers choose reliable protocols and pepper cultivars that maximise produce quality and market value without requiring complex cultivation adjustments.
This research provides applied, tested evidence directly relevant to commercial greenhouse pepper growers and horticultural input suppliers. Implementing a 1.5 gram per litre salicylic acid spray protocol can improve harvest tonnage and produce characteristics associated with higher market prices. The intervention is near-market, as it uses existing foliar spraying practices on established commercial sweet pepper cultivars, requiring minimal technical adaptation for immediate operational adoption.
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The present study reports on the effect of humic and salicylic acids on the growth, yield, and fruit quality of three red sweet pepper ( Capsicum annuum ) cultivars: Barbero, Ferrari, and Imperio. The plants were grown in a greenhouse and the leaves were treated with humic or salicylic acids at 0, 0.5, 1.0, and 1.5 g·L −1 at 20, 40, and 60 days after transplanting. Foliar application of humic or salicylic acids significantly increased vegetative growth, fruit yield, and quality of the three cultivars as compared with the control plants. However, salicylic acid treatment proved more effective than humic acid treatment. Red sweet pepper plants of all three cultivars sprayed with 1.5 g·L −1 salicylic acid showed the greatest vegetative growth; fruit yield components, such as fruit number, diameter, and fresh and dry weights; and fruit quality traits, such as vitamin C content, total soluble solid content, titratable acidity, and total sugar content, than the plants in all other treatments. There were significant differences ( P ≤ 0.05) among cultivars in response to humic and salicylic acid foliar application; ‘Ferrari’ showed significantly higher yield and productivity than ‘Barbero’ or ‘Imperio’. ‘Ferrari’ plants sprayed with 1.5 g·L −1 salicylic acid showed the highest fruit weight (202.41 g) and flesh thickness (68 mm), both of which are preferred by consumers, and therefore, have increased market value. This treatment also increased total yield by 27.7% (16.03 t·ha −1 ), 15.9% (12.38 t·ha −1 ), and 17.9% (11.88 t·ha −1 ) in ‘Barbero’, ‘Ferrari’, and ‘Imperio’, respectively. Therefore, salicylic acid foliar application is recommended for enhancing fruit yield and quality of greenhouse-grown red sweet pepper.
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DOI: 10.21273/horttech04263-18
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