ROSMAINA1,4; SOBIR2; PARJANTO1,3; AHMAD YUNUS1,3
1 Sebelas Maret University, Department of Agriculture Science, Graduated School, Surakarta, 57126, Indonesia
2 Bogor Agriculture University, Faculty of Agriculture, Departement of Agronomy and Horticulture, Bogor 16680, West Java, Indonesia
3 Sebelas Maret University, Faculty of Agriculture, Department of Agrotechnology, Surakarta, 57126, Indonesia
4 State Islamic University of Sultan Syarif Kasim Riau (UIN SUSKA Riau), Faculty of Agriculture and Animal Sciences, Department of Agrotechnology, Panam Campus-Pekanbaru 28293, Riau, Indonesia
Rosmaina, Sobir, Parjanto and A. Yunus, 2018. Selection criterias development for chili pepper under different field water capacity at vegetative stage. Bulg. J. Agric. Sci., 24 (1): 80–90
Low of water availability is a major limits the growth and production of horticulture crops including chili pepper (Capsicum annuum L.). The study was aimed to determine the water defi cit critical level that resulted 50% decreasing of the yield, and to determine the selection criteria of chili pepper under water defi cit in the vegetative phase, as well. The research arranged under completely randomized design of two factorials, which fi rst factor was four levels regarding to water fi eld capacity of 100%, 75%, 50% and 25%, while second factor was fi ve genotypes of chili pepper. The result of this study revealed that water defi cit at the vegetative stage was affected to growth and production of chili pepper that indicated by severe decreasing of the yield (71%), number of fruit per plant (69.25%) and fruit set (68.89%). Regression analysis based on yield, number of fruit per plant and fruit set showed that average water defi cit critical level of 50% decreasing of the yield was 52.39% of field water capacity. Correlation analysis revealed that different characters that associated with the yield under different fi eld water capacity level. Path coeffi cient analysis revealed that character of number of flowers abortion (3.05), flowers set (0.06), fruit weight (0.29) and number of fruit (1.23) have direct effect with fruit weight per plant in 100% of field water capacity, character of number of fruit per plant (0.68), fruit weight (1.43), percentage of fl ower abortion (0.36), and root length (0.21) have direct effect with fruit weight per plant in 50% of water fi eld capacity viz., whereas in 25% of fi eld water capacity, only character of number of fruit (0.78) has direct effect with fruit weight per plant. High of water defi cit tend to decrease the number of character correlated and direct effect with yield.