Effect of different growing environments on growth, yield and quality of bell pepper (Capsicum annuum L. var. grossum Sendt.) genotypes under terai region of West Bengal

Sep 17, 2026

Bell pepper production often relies on protected growing conditions, though practical constraints motivate evaluation of alternative environments. A factorial randomized block design with three replications compared arecanut shade (G1) and open field (G2) across five varieties—California Wonder, Pusa Capsicum-1, VLCP 2016-57, KTOC-1, and KTYC-17—at Uttar Banga Krishi Viswavidyalaya during rabi 2022-23. Growth and yield traits showed overall improvement under shade. California Wonder excelled in days to first flowering and flower and fruit counts, while KTOC-1 produced superior yield-related performance and fruit attributes. Arecanut shade likely enhanced natural resource utilization, making KTOC-1 most suitable for the Terai region of West Bengal.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages6

Reading Time15 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Bell pepper cultivation and protected structures

Rationale for arecanut shade intercropping

Materials and Methods

Experimental design and environments

Varieties evaluated and factorial setup

Results and Discussion

Effects on growth parameters

Effects on flowering, fruits, and yield

Effects on fruit quality and varietal performance

Conclusion

Journal of Applied Horticulture, 27(2): 270-275, 2025 [https://doi.org/10.37855/jah.2025.v27i02.50](https://doi.org/10.37855/jah.2025.v27i02.50) Journal of Applied Horticulture ISSN: 0972-1045 Effect of different growing environments on growth, yield and quality of bell pepper (Capsicum annuum L. var. grossum Sendt.) genotypes under terai region of West Bengal Subom Rai1 *, Shibnath Basfore1, Safal Rai1*, Ujyol Rai1, Dibya Jyoti Mukhia1, Subhamoy Sikder1 and Partha Sarathi Medda2 1Department of Vegetable and Spice Crops, Faculty of Horticulture, Uttar Banga Krishi Viswavidyalaya, Pundibari, Coochbehar-736165, India. 2Department of Plantation Crops and Processing, Faculty of Horticulture, Uttar BangaKrishi Viswavidyalaya, Pundibari, Coochbehar-736165, India. *E-mail: [safalrai93@gmail.com](safalrai93@gmail.com) Abstract Bell pepper is commonly produced in protected conditions with constraints. To study alternatives to shaded structures, this experiment was conducted at the Instructional Farm, Uttar Banga Krishi Viswavidyalaya, during the rabi season of 2022-23 with two growing environments, i.e., arecanut shade (G1) and open field (G2) (as factor A), while five varieties—California Wonder (V1), Pusa Capsicum- 1 (KTPC-1) (V2), VLCP 2016-57 (V3), KTOC-1 (V4), and KTYC-17 (V5)—were taken as factor B, laid out in a factorial randomized block design with three replications. Following comparable agronomic techniques in G1 and G2, growth, yield, and quality metrics were measured for the five varieties. The results substantiated that shade had a positive influence on bell pepper, as most parameters—such as plant height (26.32 cm, 36.96 cm, and 63.17 cm at 30, 60, and 90 DAT, respectively); internode length (2.72 cm, 4.61 cm, and 6.58 cm at 30, 60, and 90 DAT, respectively); days to first flowering (53.78 DAT); number of flowers per plant (18.28); number of fruits per plant (10.37); fruit length (6.57 cm); fruit width (5.74 cm); pericarp thickness (4.75 mm); average fruit. Regarding the varieties, California Wonder (V1) reported better results for a few parameters: days to first flowering (52.30 DAT), number of flowers per plant (19.75), and number of fruits per plant (10.55). However, for most yield-attributing parameters—such as fruit length (7.17 cm), pericarp thickness (4.68 mm), average fruit weight (98.00 g), and fruit yield per plant (0.81 g)—the variety KTOC-1 (V4) outperformed. The efÏcient utilization of natural resources under arecanut shade may have favored bell pepper productivity. However, the variety KTOC-1 as an intercrop would be the most appropriate choice for the Terai region of West Bengal. Key words: Bell pepper, capsicum, growing environment, arecanut shade, open field | Introduction
Bell pepper (Capsicum annuum L. var. grossum Sendt.) is a popular solanaceous vegetable crop cherished worldwide for its culinary flexibility and nutritional potency. It is a diploid with chromosome no . of 2n=2x=24 . Originating primarily from Mexico and Guatemala as the secondary centre (Thakur et al., 2020) . Its fruits are consumed either raw, as a salad, or as vegetables in curries. In the human diet, it is considered a balanced nutrition, as it contains 1.29 mg protein, 11 mg calcium, 870 I.U. vitamin A, 17.5 mg ascorbic acid, 0.6 mg thiamine, 0.03 mg riboflavin, and 0.55 mg niacin per 100 g edible fruit (Ashrafunnesa et al., 2018) .
Bell pepper is a cool-season tropical crop mainly cultivated during the cool season for its fully developed immature fruit (Brahma et al., 2010) . The optimal temperature for growth and fruit set is 25°C during the day and 18°C at night (Samanta and Hazra, 2019) . However, during the cooler months, heat and direct sunlight can severely impair their overall quality, yield and marketability (Padron et al., 2015) . Despite its widespread popularity, its cultivation encounters challenges, particularly when cultivated in open field conditions due to erratic weather behaviour.

FAQs

What growing environments were compared in the experiment?

The study compared arecanut shade (G1) versus open field (G2).

Which variety performed best for early flowering and flower/fruit numbers?

California Wonder (V1) reported better results for days to first flowering and for the number of flowers and fruits per plant.

Which variety was most appropriate based on overall yield-related performance under arecanut shade?

KTOC-1 (V4) outperformed for multiple yield-attributing parameters and was considered the most appropriate choice for the Terai region of West Bengal.

Sep 17, 2026

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