Performance evaluation of sweet pepper ( <i>Capsicum annuum</i> L.) genotypes for morphological traits and yield in Eastern mid-hill conditions of Nepal

Sweet pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) is one of the most economically important solanaceous vegetables in Nepal; however, its productivity in the mid-hill regions remains low due to a lack of high yielding and well-adapted genotypes. To address these challenges, this study was conducted at the Agriculture Research Station, Pakhribas, Dhankuta to evaluate the growth, yield, and morphological performance of sweet pepper genotypes HRDCAP001, HRDCAP003, HRDCAP004, HRDCAP005, HRDCAP006 and the check variety California Wonder. The experiment was done using in a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with four replications. Morphological characterization revealed diversity in leaf color, leaf shape, flower position, fruit shape and growth habit among genotypes. Results showed that genotypes significantly differed for most parameters studied. HRDCAP001 showed superior performance with early flowering (46.5 DAT), early maturity (69 DAT), highest individual fruit weight (87.22 g), fruit yield per plant (735.7 g) and total yield (23.49 tha−1). HRDCAP003 produced the highest number of fruits per plant (17.4) and a higher chlorophyll content (63.76 SPAD). The overall findings indicated that HRDCAP001 is a promising genotype for commercial cultivation in the mid-hill region of Dhankuta, Nepal.