IMPACT OF HYDROGEL TYPE/MYCORRHIZAE ON PEPPER SEEDLINGS GROWTH

Water deficit is the one of the main factors affecting crop productivity. A few technologies such as mycorrhizae (M), polyacrylamide (CLP), and superabsorbent polymers (SAP), were applied to improve water holding capacity and promote sustainable agriculture. Investigating the possible effects of 0.5 g/kg rate SAP or CLP alone or in combination with 5 g/kg mycorrhizae on the growth of pepper seedlings was the goal of the current study to evaluate the influence of two types of hydrogel/mycorrhizae on the growth of pepper seedlings at 70% evapotranspiration. Six treatments control (C), mycorrhizae (M), SAP, CLP, SAPM, and CLPM were incorporated into sandy loam soil in a pot experiment. Up to 40 days after transplanting, with daily watering at 70% of potential evapotranspiration (ETp), the shoot height and number of leaves per plant were measured every ten days. Shoot height and leaf count as a function of time were well described by a sigmoidal function, with R2 greater than 0.865. The change rates of shoot height and leaf number were estimated using the sigmoidal function. Mycorrhizae and CLP had shoot peak rates of 1.08 and 1.101 cm/d, respectively. The CLP treatments had the fastest and largest leaf number change at the peaks (5.41 d-1), while CLPM had the smallest peak (2.06 d-1). Except for chlorophyll, the CLP-treated seedlings outperformed the other treatments in terms of improving all the seedling traits. The CLPM stored the greatest soil water, while the control held the least. According to the findings of the current study, the CLP was much more suggested than mycorrhizae for sustainable pepper production. Generally, the CLP/mycorrhizae are recommended for soil water management.