Effect of Fulvic Acid on Yield and Quality of Organic Bell Pepper
Abstract
The objective of the study was to examine the effect of soil and foliar application of fulvic acid (FA) at various concentrations on fruit yield and quality of organically grown bell pepper. A field experiment was conducted in a randomized complete block design with three replications at the certified organic farm belonging to Tennessee State University, Nashville, in 2021 and 2022. Bell pepper cv. Revolution were grown in the open field on plastic mulch with drip irrigation. Two weeks after transplanting pepper plants, application of FA was performed three times a week until the fruiting stage. Furthermore, FA was applied as a soil drench to the plant root area and foliar spray on the leaf surface at different rates (0, 0.3, 0.7, 1, 1.4 fl oz./gal). Both soil and foliar application of FA significantly increased fruit number and marketable yield per plant than control. Soil 0.7 fl. oz./gal (6.31 lbs. per plant) followed by foliar 0.7 (6.19 lbs. per plant) and foliar 1 fl. oz./gal (6.15 lbs. per plant) showed significant increase (p ≤ 0.05) in marketable yield than control. Soil and foliar application of FA had no significant effect on fruit firmness, fruit weight, fruit length and fruit diameter compared to control. Moreover, both soil and foliar treatments of FA significantly enhanced the total phenol and flavonoid content, vitamin C and antioxidant activity of bell pepper. In conclusion, soil and foliar application of FA can be used to improve fruit marketable yield and quality in organic bell pepper production.
Subject Area
Agriculture|Agronomy
Recommended Citation
Pinkky Kanabar,
"Effect of Fulvic Acid on Yield and Quality of Organic Bell Pepper"
(2022).
ETD Collection for Tennessee State University.
Paper AAI29400038.
https://digitalscholarship.tnstate.edu/dissertations/AAI29400038