Abstract
Sweet peppers (var. Cubanelle) graded for width, length and weight were evaluated after three fertigation treatments (T1 = 150, T2 = 300 and T3 = 500 Kg of N/ha), 500 Kg of N/ha side-dressed (T4), no fertilizer (T5), plastic mulching (P) and no mulching (NP). Nitrogen source was urea. The relationships of average width and average weight versus days after transplanting were sigmoidal. A linear relationship was found between average length versus days after transplanting. More than 50% of peppers were within size classes 1 to 4 ; fewer than 40% were in the size classes 5 to 9. During the growing cycle, mean numbers of peppers and weight per pepper in each size class were not statistically different (P = 0.05) among main treatments (T1, T2, T3, T4, T5). In size classes 1 to 9, there were significantly more peppers (P = 0.05) in P plots than in NP plots. Fruit parameter values decreased with successive picking and were significantly lower (P = 0.05) in the 5th picking and were higher in the P plots than in the NP plots (P = 0.05). Fertilization and fertigation resulted in higher values than non-fertilization.