Bell pepper performance with recycled nutrient solution
International Journal of Development Research
Bell pepper performance with recycled nutrient solution
Received 14th September, 2017; Received in revised form 27th October, 2017; Accepted 16th November, 2017; Published online 29th December, 2017
Copyright ©2017, Rodolfo Clemente Reséndiz-Melgar et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Mexican growers of greenhouse bell pepper (Capsicum annum L.) have adopted productions systems developed for other countries with climatic and socioeconomic conditions different from Mexico. This study examines the effects of different soilless systems on yield and nutrient solution use of bell pepper under low technology greenhouse in Tehuacan, Puebla, South Central Mexico. The experiment design was a complete random block with four repetitions; the experimental unit was 3 m2 which included 9 plants. The soilless systems treatments were OSS; open soilless system; CSS1; closed soilless system 1 controlled by electrical conductivity; CSS2; closed soilless system 2 controlled by the concentration of K, Ca, NO3_ and P ions. Fruit weight and total dry weight were similar between three treatments. But yield was statistically significantly different for OSS with CSS1 but no differences were found between OSS with CSS2. Around three hundred liters for square meters were saved in closed soilless systems compared with OSS and this one expended near twenty liters mores for kilogram of fruit, also six to twelve percent were the nutrient saved in closed soilless systems.