Enhancing Capsicum Cultivation under Polyhouse, Shadenet House and Open Field Conditions with Drip Fertigation

Capsicum cultivation is a highly challenging task in open field conditions because of the extreme climatic conditions and poor input delivery system. Hence, the protected cultivation of capsicum is catching up. The present study evaluates the comparative performance of polyhouse, shadenet house and opens field conditions on the biometric, yield, fruit quality and economics of capsicum using drip and fertigation system. The study also determines the optimum dose of irrigation water and fertilizer application using drip irrigation methods under different protected cultivation structures. The study was conducted at Precision Farming Development Centre, IIT Kharagpur, for two consecutive years during 2022 and 2023. The irrigation water requirement of capsicum under polyhouse, shadenet house and open field conditions was estimated using FAO-56 Penman Monteith approach. When compared to open field cultivation, drip irrigated capsicum requires approximately 35.2% less water under polyhouse conditions and 25.5% less under shade net houses. The study also found that biometric parameters, yield and quality of capsicum are superior under polyhouse in comparison to the capsicum grown under shadenet and in open field conditions. Polyhouse treatments, particularly 100% RDF with 80% WR, demonstrated superior biometric parameters, quality metrics, and water productivity compared to other treatments. Capsicum grown under shadenet house conditions with 120% RDF with 80% WR also showed enhanced yield and quality over open field conditions. Economic analysis revealed that polyhouse cultivation, despite higher initial costs, yielded the highest net profit and benefit-cost ratio, followed by shadenet house and open field conditions. These findings underscore the importance of controlled environments in improving capsicum production and economic returns, highlighting the potential of polyhouses and shadenet houses in optimizing crop performance and resource use efficiency.