Growth and Yield Responses of Hot Pepper to Nitrogen Fertilisation in Jos-Plateau, Nigeria

The production of pepper in Nigeria has raised the living standards of many smallholder farmers. The productivity of yellow and red pods is generally low due to poor agronomic practice. There is the need to help smallholder farmers to achieve sustainable production in order to improve and secure their livelihood. This study was aimed to investigate the effects of the rate of Nitrogen fertilisation on growth and yield of pepper in the Jos-Plateau environment. The experiment was 3 x 6 factorial, comprising three varieties of pepper and six levels of N-fertilizer. The treatmentcombinations were laid out in the field using the randomised complete block design. Plant height, number of leaves, number of branches, relative growth rate and days to 50% flowering were higher in the variety F BT than in the other varieties. Leaf area index, length of fruit and fresh fruit 1 yield were higher in the variety SAFI than in the other varieties. Fruit width and the mean weight of fruit were higher in the Miango Local than in the other varieties. The application of N-fertilizer up to 150 kgN ha-1 resulted in significantly higher values in most of the parameters studied. Significant interactions of N-fertilizer rate and variety on plant height, number of leaves per plant, number of branches per plant, leaf area index, relative growth rate, mean weight of fruit and fresh fruit yield were observed. The study recommends the application of N-fertilizer up to 150 kgN ha-1 for cultivation of pepper in the Jos-Plateau environment.