EFFECTS OF DIFFERENT ROOTSTOCKS ON YIELD OF GRAFTED PEPPER (Capsicum annuum L.) IN GREENHOUSE CONDITIONS

Abstract

A field study was carried out in the region of Shtime, the central part of Kosovo, in 2021 to investigate the rootstock effect on the number of fruits per plant, fruit mass per plant, and the obtained yield of grafted pepper in greenhouse conditions. For that purpose, the following cultivars were used as scions, ”Vedrana‟, ”Kaptur‟, ”Ariadni” and ”Gelby‟, while ”SM Tant‟, ”Vital Paprika‟ and ”6210‟ as rootstocks. Non-grafted cultivars of ”Vedrana‟, ”Ariadni‟, ”Kaptur‟ and ”Gelby‟ were used as control treatments. The trial was designed in a randomized block system with four replications or 64 experimental plots in total. Each experimental plot contained 20 plants. The plants were transplanted in a plant density of 0.60m x 0.40m x 1.0m, or 4 plants/m². In addition, regular cultural practices were applied regarding irrigation, fertilization, and plant protection. According to the obtained results, differences were observed in terms of the average number of fruits per plant, average fruit mass(g), and the total yield (kg ha^-1), depending on the rootstock-scion combination and the different ripening stages. The largest number of fruits per plant was observed in the grafted combination ”Ariadni/Sm Tant‟ (15.41) and in the ”Gelby/Sm Tant‟ combination (14.31), while the lowest number of fruits was recorded in the plants from the cultivar ”Vedrana‟ non-grafted (8.33) and the combination” Kaptur/6210‟ (7.99). The highest fruit mass was observed with the combination ”Vedrana/Sm Tant‟, while the highest total yield was observed in the combination ”Ariadni/Sm Tant‟, followed by ”Vedrana/Sm Tant‟. The lowest yield was recorded in the combination ”Kaptur/Sm Tant‟ and the combination ”Kaptur/6210‟.