Efficiency of drip irrigation combined with <em>Bacillus</em> bacteria application in enhancing growth and yield of Jinda chilis

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficiency of different drip irrigation schedules combined with the application of Bacillus bacteria (B. amyloliquefaciens BB165) on the growth and yield of Jinda chili plants. An experiment was conducted to compare four irrigation treatments: two sessions of 10 minutes each (control), three sessions of 5 minutes each, two sessions of 10 minutes combined with Bacillus bacteria, and three sessions of 5 minutes combined with Bacillus bacteria. Jinda chili seedlings were transplanted into plastic pots and treated accordingly. Plant heights were measured every 15 days, while yield weights were recorded every 30 days. Fresh plant and root weights were measured 90 days posttransplantation. The results indicated that three sessions of 5 minutes of drip irrigation significantly conserved water, reducing usage by up to 23.59% compared to the control, and increased plant heights by 6.81% to 14.00%. The combination of two sessions of 10 minutes of drip irrigation with Bacillus bacteria produced the highest fresh plant (199.75 g) and root weights (105.00 g). Yield weights showed no significant differences across treatments, though specific treatments exhibited higher yields at different intervals. Notably, three sessions of 5 minutes of drip irrigation with Bacillus bacteria resulted in the highest yield weight at 30 days (212.76 g), while two sessions of 10 minutes with Bacillus bacteria showed the best results at 90 days (184.09 g). In conclusion, optimizing drip irrigation schedules and integrating Bacillus bacteria can significantly enhance water efficiency and plant growth in chili cultivation. This study demonstrates that strategic irrigation practices combined with microbial interventions can lead to improved growth outcomes in chili plants.