Abstract

Field experiment was conducted to study the influence of salicylic acid in the mitigation of moisture stress in sweet pepper. Treatments consisted of four rates (0, 0.2, 0.4 and 0.6gL-1) of salicylic acid and three moisture stress stages (vegetative, flowering and fruit setting). These were laid out in split plot design with three replications. Results of the study revealed that exogenous application of salicylic acid significantly (p< 0.05) decreases canopy temperature in sweet pepper. This however, increases the number of fruits per plant, average fruit weight and fresh fruit yield irrespective of the rate applied. The yield and yield components were also higher from plants that were subjected to moisture stress at vegetative stage and the control. Based on the existing findings, moisture stress in sweet pepper could be mitigated by foliar spray of salicylic acid at the vegetative stage. Further investigation is thus recommended to justify the best rate to apply.

Key words: Foliar application, Moisture stress, Salicylic acid, Sweet pepper