Effect of Different Types of Fertilizers on Growth and Yield of Medicinal Plant Bush Type Pepper Plant (<em>Piper nigrum</em> L.)

Black pepper (Piper nigrum L., Family: Piperaceae) is one of the most important medicinal crops and an important spice for over 400 years. High yield of production of pepper is urgently needed to meet the increasing demand. When rooted cuttings of lateral branches (plagiotropic) are used, a bush type of pepper can be obtained instead of a vine type. Technology of bush pepper production is disseminated among export agriculture stakeholders, but not the fertilizer recommendation. Therefore, this study was carried out in the Department of Export Agriculture, Matale to investigate the effect of fertilizer for the highest yield and growth of potted bush type pepper. Three different fertilizers were selected as treatments, i.e., T1-Compound fertilizer (yara mila-SOP) – 1g, T2-Compound balance fertilizer (15-15-15 N: P: K) – 1g, T3-Straight fertilizer (Urea – 2.5g, -Eppawala rock phosphate – 25 g and Muriate of potash – 2.5 g). All were mixed into a modified potting mixture of topsoil: sand: coir dust 2:1:1 without cow dung. The control treatment (T4) was without cow dung and fertilizer but only with the modified potting mixture of topsoil: sand: coir dust 2:1:1. The experiment was laid out in a completely randomized design and four treatments randomized with four replicates. According to the findings, straight fertilizer with Urea – 2.5 g, Eppawala rock phosphate (ERP) – 25 g and Muriate of potash (MOP) – 2.5 g has shown the significantly (p<0.05) highest growth parameters such as number of leaves (19.6), bush height (36.9 cm), (stem diameter (3.0 cm ), internode length (8.9 cm) number of branches (6.32) and Compound balance fertilizer (15-15-15 N: P: K) – 1 g has shown significantly highest yield parameters such as number of spikes (4.16) and spike length (8.4 cm) in potted bush type pepper respectively. Therefore, these two fertilizers can be recommended as suitable fertilizer for sustainable cultivation of medicinal plant bush type pepper.