EFFECT OF DIFFERENT NPK FERTILIZER RATES ON GROWTH, FLOWERING, FRUIT CHARACTERISTICS AND YIELD OF BELL PEPPER (CAPSICUM ANNUUM L.) UNDER THE AGRO-CLIMATIC CONDITIONS OF UTHAL, BALOCHISTAN, PAKISTAN

Abstract

Bell pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) productivity is strongly influenced by the availability and balance of essential nutrients. A field experiment was conducted during 2023–2024 at the agricultural research site of Lasbela University of Agriculture, Water and Marine Sciences (LUAWMS), Uthal, Balochistan, Pakistan, to evaluate the effects of N, P, and K fertilizer rates on growth, flowering, fruit characteristics, and yield of bell pepper cultivar ‘Winer’. The experiment was arranged in a Randomized Complete Block Design with three replications and four treatments: T1, untreated control; T2, 90-60-30; T3, 120-90-60; and T4, 150-120-90 kg N-P-K ha⁻¹. Increasing NPK rates significantly affected growth, reproductive, fruit, and yield attributes (p ≤ 0.05). T4 produced the highest number of leaves (147.73 plant⁻¹), plant height (67.20 cm), and stem diameter (11.03 mm), while T3 produced the greatest number of branches (27.13 plant⁻¹). T3 also resulted in the earliest flowering (40.00 days) and fruit set (59.67 days), and the highest numbers of flowers (26.52 plant⁻¹) and fruits (23.63 plant⁻¹), fruit length (72.71 mm), fruit width (70.27 mm), fruit weight (129.20 g), seeds fruit⁻¹ (168.83), and yield plant⁻¹ (2163 g). Although T4 enhanced vegetative growth, T3 achieved superior reproductive performance and yield. Thus, 120-90-60 kg N-P-K ha⁻¹ was the most productive treatment under the study conditions. Multi-season and multi-location studies are recommended to validate this recommendation and assess nutrient-use efficiency and economic returns.