Effect of different levels of nitrogen and charcoal on growth and yield traits of chili (Capsicum annuum L.)

Nitrogen and carbon sources are important for the growth and yield of chili. A combination of nitrogen and charcoal shows the potential to increase the availability of nutrients and stimulate plant performance. Therefore, an experiment was conducted to investigate the influence of different levels of nitrogen and charcoal on the growth and yield of chili. A pot experiment was carried out at Lamjung Campus, Lamjung, Nepal from 2019 to 2020. The experiment was carried out using two-factor Completely Randomized Design (CRD) with five replications. Twelve treatments consisted of three levels of nitrogen (0, 50 and 100 kg N ha^-1) and four levels of charcoal (0, 2.5, 5 and 7.5% by soil weight) were used in the experiment. Nitrogen and charcoal showed a significant effect on different growth and yield parameters. Nitrogen application at the rate of 100 kg N ha^-1 showed significantly the maximum number of primary branches (8.25), plant height (52.62 cm), leaf area (54.33 cm²), number of fruits per plant (42.95), fruit length (6.97 cm), yield per pot (97.14 g) and root length (29.87 cm). The application of 2.5% charcoal by soil weight showed a significant effect on plant height (53.60 cm), fruit length (7.12 cm) and yield per pot (77.55 g), while the application of 5% charcoal by soil weight produced the maximum number of fruits per plant (31.93). The combined level of nitrogen @ 100 kg N ha^-1 and charcoal @ 2.5% by soil weight produced the yield per plot (127.1 g). This study suggests that chili production can be maximized by applying such a combined level of nitrogen and charcoal in the Lamjung.