Agronomic Evaluation of Eight Genotypes of Hot Pepper (Capsicum Spp L.) in a Coastal Savanna Zone of Ghana

Abstract

Local landrace varieties of pepper (Capsicum sp) often fail to meet the expectations of farmers with respect to fruit yield, while exotic breeds are unadapted to local conditions, with detrimental effects on local pepper production. The aim of the study was to assess the agronomic performance of eight (8) pepper genotypes, comprising 6 exotic and 2 local genotypes, under rain-fed conditions to identify those suitable for cultivation locally. The experiment was conducted between April and October 2011 at the research farm of the Biotechnology and Nuclear Agriculture Research Institute of the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission. The Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD), with three replicates was used. Weed control was carried out manually with the aid of a hoe and a cutlass at 4 and 10 weeks after planting (WAP).  One application of 15-15-15 NPK fertilizer was made at 2 WAP, using a rate of 200 kg ha^-1. No pesticides or fungicides were applied. Parameters measured include number of days to 50% flowering, height at first branching, total plant height at maturity, canopy spread at maturity and total yield. Results indicate that exotic hybrid varieties matured earlier than the local genotypes. They also performed better in terms of fruit weight, fruit length and fruit yield. However, the two local landrace varieties, Anloga and Legon 18, produced the highest number of undamaged fruits.

Keywords: Capsicum sp, genotypes, exotic pepper, landrace, yield, plant height, fruit weight