Optimizing water management and crop performance in greenhouse pepper cultivation through timing of apical bud removal

This study investigated the interactive effects of apical bud removal timing (early at 20 vs. late at 65 days after transplanting) and irrigation scheduling on the growth, physiology, and productivity of greenhouse-grown bell pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) under Egyptian conditions. The experiment included three treatments (no pinching; T0, early pinching; T1, and late pinching; T2) with apical and lateral tips removed in T2 at the end of the first season to induce regrowth and extend harvest into a second season. Results showed that early pinching (T1) enhanced vegetative branching but reduced fruit set, whereas T0 exhibited moderate productivity and low water-use efficiency (WUE). In contrast, late pinching (T2) enhanced growth and yield during the first cycle, and after regrowth, supported a second productive phase without replanting, achieving the highest yield and WUE (6.04 vs. 3.10 kg m−3 in T0), along with elevated chlorophyll, sugar, and protein contents.