International Journal of Vegetable Science

ISSN: 1931-5260 (Print) 1931-5279 (Online) Journal homepage: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/wijv20

Bed Height and Intra-row Spacing on Pepper

Growth and Fruit Yield

A.W. Salau, E.A. Makinde & O.O. Olubode

To cite this article: A.W. Salau, E.A. Makinde & O.O. Olubode (2016): Bed Height and Intra-row
Spacing on Pepper Growth and Fruit Yield, International Journal of Vegetable Science, DOI:
10.1080/19315260.2015.1089527

To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/19315260.2015.1089527

Accepted author version posted online: 22

Jan 2016.

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 Bed Height and Intra-row Spacing on Pepper Growth
and Fruit Yield
A.W. Salau, E.A. Makinde and O.O. Olubode

Department of Horticulture, Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Nigeria

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Address correspondence to: A.W. Salau at the above address. E-mail:
salau.adewale@yahoo.com.

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Cultural practices can affect growth and yield of hot pepper (Capsicum frutescens L).

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Experiments were carried out in 2009 and 2010 to investigate growth and fruit yield of hot

pepper as affected by bed height and intra-row spacing. Six-week old transplants were

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established at an 80 cm inter-row spacing with intra-row spacings of 20, 30 or 40 cm and bed

heights of 20, 30 and 40 cm. Intra-row spacing did not affect growth and yield. Relative to 30
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and 20 cm high beds, planting on 40 cm high beds increased numbers of leaves/plant by 70 and

48%, number of fruit/plant by 58 and 86% and fruit yield·ha-1 by 64 and 97%, respectively. At
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the 40 cm intra-row spacing, on 40 cm high beds, fruit weight/plant was higher by 196 and 138%

relative to 20 and 30 cm high beds, respectively. Plant height, number of leaves/plant and LAI
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contributed 79, 75 and 84%, respectively, to fruit yield; number of fruits/plant and fruit
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weight/plant contributed 89 and 92 %, respectively, to fruit yield. Planting pepper at 40 cm intra-

row spacing with 40 cm bed height is recommended to optimize production space and increase
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yield.

Keywords: Capsicum frutescens, plant density, soil volume

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 Hot pepper (Capsicum frutescens L), grown in tropical to temperate environments (Adetula and

Olakojo, 2006), is a source of vitamins and minerals, especially iron and phosphorus (Rezende et

al., 2003). Optimal growing conditions for pepper include an annual rainfall of 600-1200 mm, a

temperature range of 18-27oC and a sandy loam soil (Udoh et al., 2005). Successful production

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of pepper during the peak of the rainy season (July and September) poses a challenge in the

lowland tropics. Excessive water accumulation, due to poor drainage, inhibits oxidative

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respiration of roots, which inhibits growth and yield and may cause death of the plant. Raised

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beds provide an environment for germination and growth through improved drainage. Raised

beds increase the soil volume accessible for root development. Although anecdotal information

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is available, reproducible information is lacking on effects of bed height for production of hot

pepper, especially under tropical conditions. Plant population density is partly determined by row
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spacing. With a high population, there is increased competition for growth and this may affect

plant yield (Mavengahama et al., 2009). The study was undertaken to evaluate effects of bed
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height and intra-row spacing on growth and yield of hot pepper.

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MATERIALS AND METHODS

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Field trials were carried out at the Teaching and Research farm, Federal University of
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Agriculture, Abeokuta, Nigeria, in 2009 and 2010, to evaluate effects of bed height and

population density, as a result of intra-row spacing, on growth and yield of hot pepper. The study

area is in the tropical rainforest/savannah-transition zone of southwestern Nigeria, latitude

7°15’N; longitude 3°25’ E. The study was carried out from April to October in 2009 and

repeated on another plot of land close by, within the same environment in the 2010 rainy season

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 from June to November. Total rainfall and minimum and maximum temperatures varied (Table

1). The soil was a sandy loam, 80% sand, 13.8% silt and 6.2% clay, with pH 6.1 (H 2 0), and

1.53% organic matter, 0.9% total nitrogen, and 6.28 mg·kg-1 available P (Table 1).

The experiment was arranged in a split-plot design with 3 replicates. The main plot was

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intra-row spacing; the sub-plot was bed height. Sub-plot size was 1×3 m. Hot pepper, cv.

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Atarodo; seeds were sourced locally from farmers. Seeds were established by sowing in trays

filled with an Oxic Paleudulf soil, and kept under shade with ambient day and night temperatures

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and humidity. Seedlings were watered with 500 mL of water every 2 days from a nearby well

using a watering can. Six-week-old seedlings were transplanted to the field on 23 April 2009 and
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2 June 2010. Beds were prepared manually by heaping soil to a pegged level from the soil
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surface that were 20, 30 or 40 cm in height. Plants were set at an inter-row distance of 80 cm and

20, 30 or 40 cm intra-row spacing, providing plant densities of 62,500, 41,666 and 31,250

plants·ha-1, respectively. A basal application of 250 kg·ha-1 of pre- compounded 20N:10P:10K

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compound fertilizer was applied at 3 weeks after transplanting (WAT). The compound fertilizer
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supplied 50N:25P:25K kg·ha-1. The N was from urea, P was from single super phosphate and K

was from muriate of potash. Manual weeding was carried out at 4 and 8 WAT. Plants were rain-
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fed and supplementary irrigation was not required.

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Ten pepper plants were sampled from mid-rows in both years to determine plant height,

number of leaves/plant, leaf area/plant and leaf area index. Leaf area was determined non-

destructively using the relationships of leaf length × width using a linear equation described by

Salau et al. (2008). Leaf area index was determined as the summation of leaf area of plants in all

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 the plot/plot area. Mature ripe pepper fruits were harvested from 10 plants from middle rows,

counted and weighed, beginning at 13 WAT and continuing to 18 WAT. Data were subjected to

analyses of variance using procedures of GenStat (2011). If an interaction was significant, it was

used to explain results. If interactions were not significant, treatment means were separated using

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Least Significant Difference. A Pearson correlation of some growth characters with the yield was

also done.

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RESULTS

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Total rainfall during the vegetative and reproductive growth of pepper was different in the 2

years; 1635 mm in 2009 and 1212 mm in 2010. There was 859 mm between April and July in
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2009 and 688 mm between June and August in 2010. Rainfall during the reproductive stage was

higher in 2009 with 777 mm between August and November and 524 mm between late-July and
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October 2010. Temperature during the vegetative stage ranged from 23.5 to 31.7°C in 2009 and

29.4 to 31°C in 2010; during the reproductive stage, it was 26.4-32.9°C and 30.5-31.9°C, in 2009
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and 2010, respectively (Table 2).

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Year affected all vegetative responses; intra-row spacing did not affect responses; bed

height affected number of leaves and leaf area/plant, and the bed height × year interaction
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affected leaf area/plant (Table 3). Planting on the 40 cm bed height increased number of

leaves/plant by 48 and 70% over the other bed heights (Fig. 1). In 2009, plant height (Fig. 3),

number of leaves/plant (Fig. 4), leaf area/plant (Fig. 5) and leaf area index (LAI) (Fig. 6) were

higher by 140, 152, 425 and 443%, respectively, relative to 2010. Leaf area/plant on beds 40 cm

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 high was higher by 120 and 78% than on beds that were 20 and 30 cm high, respectively, in 2009

(Fig. 2). Leaf area was not affected by the interaction bed height × year in 2010 (Table 4).

Year and bed height affected all yield responses, row spacing did not affect responses and

only fruit weight/plant was affected by an interaction of the intra-row spacing × bed height

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(Table 5). Number of fruit/plant, fruit weight/plant and yield of pepper in 2009 were higher by

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343, 213 and 218 %, respectively, relative to 2010 (Table 6). Planting pepper on 40 cm high beds

increased number of fruit/plant by 86 and 58%, fruit weight/plant by 111 and 74 % and fruit

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yield by 97 and 64%, compared with planting on beds that were 20 and 30 cm high, respectively

(Table 6). Yield attributes of pepper planted on 20 cm bed height were similar to plants on 30 cm
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high beds. For the 40 cm intra-row spacing, fruit weight/plant of pepper planted on 40 cm high
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bed increased by 138 and 196% relative to plants on beds that were 30 and 20 cm high,

respectively (Table 7).

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The correlation co-efficient indicated that plant height accounted for 81% fruit yield

variation at 30 cm bed height, 75% at 20 cm and 76% at 40 cm (Table 8). Number of

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leaves/plant and LAI accounted for less variation in fruit yield, with increasing bed height. With
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bed height increased from 20 cm to 30 cm, numbers of fruits/plant accounted for a lower

variation in fruit yield (89 to 86%). Bed height of 40 cm accounted for a higher variation of 92%.
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Fruit weight per plant accounted more for variation in fruit yield at 20 and 30 cm bed height (93

and 94 %) but a lower 91 % at a bed height of 40 cm (Table 8).

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 DISCUSSION

Pepper vegetative growth and yield was better on 40 cm high beds possibly due to greater soil

and soil pore volumes available to plants. The improved growth and higher fruit yield of pepper

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with increased bed height agrees with the findings of AVRDC (1993) and Kleinhenz et al. (1995)

in different environments with other varieties, showing the consistency of results. Vegetative

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growth and yield of pepper was better in 2009 was due to a wider spread of distribution. Rainfall

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in April, following transplanting and from May to August, during the vegetative growth seemed

adequate. Peak rainfall, which occurred in September when pepper was at the fruit-maturing

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stage, increased fruit yield. Flooding at this stage had no deleterious effects on plants on 40 cm

beds but reduced the yields on 20 and 30 cm beds. However, in 2010, rainfall peaked in June,
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causing flooding, when pepper was at the early vegetative stage. This impaired pepper growth

was across all beds but was more pronounced on 20 and 30 cm high beds compared to 40 cm
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high beds. Raising the soil above ground level up to 40 cm increased the soil volume accessible

to plant roots and allowed excess moisture to percolate away from roots. High beds, especially in
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lowland areas would place plant roots higher in the soil and allow root development, which could
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encourage growth and development. The intra-row spacing did not affect plant height, number of

leaves/plant, leaf area/plant or yield and indicates that the 50N:25P:25K kg·ha-1 fertilizer rate
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could support a pepper plant population of between 31,000 and 62,000 plants·ha-1. This agrees

with a report of Ahmed (1983) that a similar pepper spacing, on beds of the same height, with

fertilizer application, increased marketable yield and numbers of fruit/plant.

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 The optimum plant density and fertilizer rate to support optimum pepper yield still needs

to be determined. Planting pepper at 40 cm intra-row spacing on 40 cm bed height is

recommended to optimize production space and increase yield.

References

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Adetula, A.O. and S.A. Olakojo. 2006. Genetic characterization and evaluation of some pepper

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(Capsicum frutescens L) accessions: The Nigeria Sombo collections. American-Eurasian Journal

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of Agriculture and Environmental Science 1(3):273-281.

Ahmed, M.K. 1983. Optimum plant spacing and nitrogen fertilization of sweet pepper in Sudan

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Gezira. Acta Horticulturae 143:305-310.

Asian Vegetable Research and Development Center (AVRDC). 1993. Summer tomato and chilli
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pepper production, Crop management and system. AVRDC, 1992 Progress Report. Shanhua,

Tainan, Taiwan.
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GenStat. 2011. Procedure library release, ed. 4. VSN International Limited, Rothamsted
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Experiment Station, Hempstead, UK.

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Kleinhenz, V., W.H. Schnitzler, and D.J. Midmore. 1995. High-bed systems for off-season

vegetable production in the tropics and subtropics. Entwicklung und Landlicher Raum 4:26-28.
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Mavengahama S., V.B. Ogunlela and I.K. Mariga. 2009. Agronomic performance of paprika

(Capsicum annuum L.) in response to varying populations and arrangement in the small holder

sector of Zimbabwe. Asian Journal of Crop Science 1(2):96-104.

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 Rezende, F.C., J.A. Frizzone, R.F. de Oliveira, and A.S. Pereira. 2003. CO 2 and irrigation in

relation to yield and water use of Bell pepper crop. Scientia Agricola 60(1):7-12.

Salau, A.W., F.O. Olasantan and G.A. Oloriade. 2008. Rapid leaf area estimation in Capsicum.

Nigerian Journal of Horticultural Science 13:128-136.

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Udoh, D.J., B.A. Ndon, P.E. Asuquo, and N.U. Ndaeyo. 2005. Crop production techniques for

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the tropics. Concept Publication, Lagos, Nigeria.

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 Table 1. Soil pre-cropping chemical and physical properties.

Factor Value

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pH (H 2 O) 6.1

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8.90 g·kg-1
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Organic C

Total N
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Available P (Bray-P1) 6.28 mg·kg-1
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Exchangeable K 0.28 cmol·kg-1

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Exchangeable Ca 0.93 cmol·kg-1

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Exchangeable Mg 0.86 cmol·kg-1

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Exchangeable Na 0.68 cmol·kg-1

C.E.C.a 2.84 cmol·kg-1

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 Texture class Loamy sand

Sand 800.0 g·kg-1

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Silt 138.0 g·kg-1

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Clay 62.0 g·kg-1

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a
C.E.C. = Cation Exchange Capacity.

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 Table 2: Rainfall and temperatures during the experimental periods in 2009 and 2010 at Alabata,
Abeokuta, Nigeria.

Rainfall (mm) Air temperature (°C) Soil temperature (°C)

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Month 2009 2010 2009 2010 2009 2010

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January 0.00 4.4 32.7 33.5 28.9 28.5

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February 59.1 41.2 33.8 36.9 30.5 28.7

March 67.3 58.9

an 34.4 34.0 30.8 29.5
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April 174.0 112.7 31.7 33.1 29.3 29.3
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May 286.8 169.6 32.0 32.1 29.0 28.6

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June 258.0 98.3 31.2 31.0 27.8 28.2

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July 221.5 322.9 23.5 29.5 22.3 26.3

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August 189.6 266.6 26.4 29.4 25.4 25.0

September 337.3 257.6 28.5 30.5 26.4 26.8

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 October 113.4 172.3 30.0 32.0 27.5 27.6

November 55.7 94.7 32.9 31.8 27.9 27.6

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December 0.00 0.00 33.2 31.9 29.9 28.6

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Total 1762.7 1599.2 30.8 32.1 28.8 27.9

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 Table 3. Results of analysis of variance (mean square) on pepper vegetative growth at Alabata,
Abeokuta, Nigeria.

Plant height Number of Leaf area/plant Leaf area

(cm) leaves/plant (cm2) index

Source df

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Row spacing (S) 2 15.15 15191.52 30921989 0.312

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Bed height (B) 2 206.73 94519.29*** 155756627** 1.55

S×B 4 43.95 an 14864.32 19401151 0.194

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Year (Y) 1 10609.22*** 631981.06*** 1129777726*** 11.32***
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S×Y 2 6.24 11213.59 17811540 0.176

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B×Y 2 137.51 10075.67 67865465* 0.683

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S×B×Y 4 53.35 13951.70 7779230 0.077

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*, **, *** significant at P<0.05, P<0.01, P<0.001.

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 Table 4. Response of pepper leaf area/plant at 12 WAT as influenced by Bed height×Year
interaction at Alabata, Abeokuta, Nigeria.

Bed height (cm) Year Leaf area/plant (cm2)a

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20 2009 9444

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2010 1416

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30 2009 7633

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2010 1686
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40 2009 16830
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2010 3362
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LSD, (P<0.05) 4382.46

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Data analyzed with Least Squares Means and means separated with Least Significant Difference,
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P<0.05.

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Leaf area determined non-destructively using the relationship: Y = -1.45 + 0.65 (L × B), where

Y is leaf area, L is mid-rib length, and B is leaf width (Salau et al., 2010).

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 Table 5. Results of analysis of variance (mean square) of pepper yield attributes at Alabata,
Abeokuta, Nigeria.

Number Fruit Fruit yield

fruits/plant weight/plant (g)

Source df (Mt·ha-1)

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Row spacing (S) 2 456.15 5073.01 0.138

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Bed height (B) 2 470.01** 8187.62*** 11.528***

4 an 116.22 2151.74* 1.369

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S×B
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Year (Y) 1 4616.68*** 38889.55*** 69.451***

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S×Y 2 152.98 1089.27 0.192

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B×Y 2 106.55 1217.99 1.506

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S×B×Y 4 70.42 723.05 0.648

*,**, *** Significant at P<0.05, P<0.01, P<0.001.

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 Table 6. Pepper yield as influenced by bed height and year at Alabata, Abeokuta, Nigeria.

Bed height (cm) Number of fruit/plant Fruit weight/plant (g) Fruit yield (Mt·ha-1)

20 10.81 36.1 1.56

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30 12.68 43.8 1.88

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40 20.45 76.3 3.08

LSDa (P<0.05) 4.90 an 14.97 0.605

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Year
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2009 23.9 78.9 3.31

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2010 5.4 25.2 1.04

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LSD (P<0.05) 4.00 12.23 0.494

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Data analyzed with Least Squares Means and means separated with Least significant Difference,

P<0.05.

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 Table 7. Response of pepper fruit weight as influenced by row spacing×bed height interaction at
Alabata, Abeokuta, Nigeria.

Intra-row spacing (cm) Bed height (cm) Fruit weight/plant (g)

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20 20 29.3

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30 33.6

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40 45.8

30 20
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30 47.8
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40 64.0
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40 20 40.1
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30 50.0
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40 118.9

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 31.22

LSDa (P<0.05)

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Data analyzed with Least Squares Means and means separated with Least significant Difference,

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P<0.05.

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 Table 8. Correlation co-efficients of bed height with some growth parameters and pepper fruit
yield at Alabata, Abeokuta, Nigeria.

Bed height Plant height No. of leaves/plant LAIa No. of fruit/plant Fruit

wt./plant

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20 cm 0.75** 0.78** 0.84** 0.89** 0.93**

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30 cm 0.81** 0.70** 0.82** 0.86** 0.94**

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40 cm 0.76** 0.54*
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Average 0.79** 0.75** 0.84** 0.89** 0.92**

*, **: Significant at P<0.05, P<0.01.

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LAI = leaf area index.
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 Figure 1. Effect of bed height on number of leaves/plant for pepper at Alabata, Abeokuta,
Nigeria.

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 Figure 2. Effect of bed height on leaf area/plant of pepper at Alabata, Abeokuta, Nigeria.

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 Figure 3. Effect of year on plant height of pepper at Alabata, Abeokuta, Nigeria.

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 Figure 4. Effect of year on number of leaves/plant of pepper at Alabata, Abeokuta, Nigeria.

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 Figure 5. Effect of year on leaf area/plant of pepper at Alabata, Abeokuta, Nigeria.

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 Figure 6. Effect of year on leaf area index of pepper at Alabata, Abeokuta, Nigeria.

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