干旱区生态环境知识资源中心

Hot pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) is one of the most important crops in Mexico and other countries. This crop, as many others do, faces the loss of soil fertility, one of the most serious problems in agriculture, especially in arid lands. Regarding the importance of the organic matter in soil, we carried out experiments with the variety Anaheim THR 23(C) in an and soil. Three doses of compost were applied as treatments (25, 50, and 100t(.)ha(-1)). These applications were compared with a control without compost in order to determine the doses for major production. Soil humidity, field capacity, available moisture, total porosity, apparent and real density, and permanent wilting point were evaluated. Results showed that the highest doses improved all these physical characteristics of the soil. While there were no significant differences (P=0.05) between treatments, the best yield was obtained with the treatment of 25t(.)ha(-1). Based on the results, the latter dose is recommended for hot pepper production in and lands. Higher doses could be useful to improve physical soil conditions in the short term.