Abstract

Five hot pepper (Capsicum spp.) cultivars were grown using randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications. Green peppers were stored under two storage conditions (ambient and evaporative cooling) with three replications. The plant growth characters yield and yield related traits were assessed. Melka Zala, PBC 600 and Mareko Fana had taller plants and had more number of branches. Melka Zala and Melka Dima were observed to be late and early maturing cultivar, respectively. The highest numbers of total marketable fruits were recorded in PBC 600, while the lowest numbers were recorded in Melka Eshet and Melka Zala. The highest mean pod weight and fresh pod yield were recorded in Melka Dima, while the lowest was recorded in PBC 600. Cultivars and storage conditions had significant (P ≤ 0.05) effect on the shelf life of the peppers. Storage at ambient conditions resulted in high weight loss. The lowest moisture content was recorded in PBC 600. The evaporative cooler reduced weight loss and maintained higher marketability. The lowest weight loss was found in Mareko Fana stored in the evaporative cooler. On day 16, all pepper fruits stored at ambient conditions were unmarketable, while those stored in the evaporative cooler were kept up to 28 days.

Key words: Pepper, yield, cultivar, evaporative cooling, weight loss, moisture content, marketability.

Abbreviation

RH, Relative humidity; PWL, Physiological weight loss.