OPTIMIZING SWEET PEPPER (CAPSICUM ANNUUM L.) PRODUCTION UNDER PROTECTED STRUCTURES IN THE INDIAN TRANS-HIMALAYAS

Abstract

Production of sweet pepper is limited by climate and short growing season and people depend upon outside supply for consumption in trans-Himalayas. Protected cultivation plays a crucial role in enhancing the productivity and quality of high-value vegetable crops like sweet pepper. Keeping this in view, promising varieties/hybrids from other parts of country were tried in various protected structures. Performance of 7 hybrids was evaluated under 6 types of protected structures. The results revealed significant variation among protected structures and hybrids for growth, yield, and quality parameters. The LEHO polyhouse recorded superior performance with maximum plant height (125.8 cm), number of fruits per plant (17.85), yield per plant (811.9 g) and yield per hectare (601.4 q/ha). Among hybrids, SH-2 performed best with respect to yield (472.3 q/ha) and plant vigour, while US-181 produced the highest number of fruits per plant (20.04). Early harvesting was observed in NV polyhouse (109.8 days), whereas the longest harvest duration was recorded in mud wall polyhouse (54.06 days). The study concludes that LEHO polyhouse combined with high-yielding hybrids like SH-2 can significantly enhance sweet pepper production under protected conditions.