Effects of biostimulants on growth, yield, and quality of chili intercropped with palmyrah

A field experiment was conducted to investigate the impact of bio-stimulants on the growth and yield of chili (var. KKM Ch-1) as an intercrop under palmyrah plantation at the College Orchard of the Department of Horticulture, VOC Agricultural College and Research Institute, Killikulam, Thoothukudi district of Tamil Nadu during 2023-24. Four treatments, including potassium Chloride (KCl) 1%, Pink-Pigmented Facultative Methylotrophs 1%, Panchakavya 3 %, and water as a control, were applied in a randomized block design with five replications. Observations were recorded on plant height (cm), number of branches at 30, 60 and 90 days after transplanting, along with yield attributing characters viz., days to 1% flowering, 50% flowering, no. of red ripened fruits per plant, individual fruit weight (g), yield per plant (g), yield per ha (tons), dry yield per plant (g), dry yield per hectare (ton), ascorbic acid content (mg per 100g), capsaicin (%), capsanthin (%) and oleoresin (%). The maximum plant height at 30 (25.48 cm), 60 (56.79 cm), and 90 days after transplanting (70.75 cm), number of branches at 30 days after transplanting (2.80), 60 days after transplanting (8.80) and 90 days after transplanting (11.40), early flowering (38.40 days), 50% flowering (46.40 days), individual fruit weight (2.18 g), number of fruits per plant (78.20), yield of red ripen fruits per plant (170.31 g), yield per ha (6.30 ton per ha), leaf area index (0.84), chlorophyll a (1.42 mg per g), chlorophyll b (1.77 mg per g), total chlorophyll (3.28 mg per g), proline content (251.85 mg per g), dry yield per plant (65.67 g), dry yield per hectare (2.43 ton per ha), ascorbic acid content (12.27 mg per 100g), capsaicin (0.53%), capsanthin (44.04) and oleoresin (14.51%) was recorded in (the 3%) Panchagavya spray treatment. The salient findings revealed that among the different treatments, 3 % Panchagavya spray exhibited superiority in promoting growth and yield in Chilli as an intercrop under palmyrah in dryland conditions of the Thothukudi district.