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Research over the last two decades indicated that a class of plant bioregulators known collectively as substituted tertiary amines (STA) has the potential to increase crop productivity by increasing root growth, photosynthetic efficiency, and overall plant vigor. Although several in vitro and greenhouse studies have been conducted with these materials, few have investigated the efficacy of STA application in commercial production systems. This study was initiated to determine whether STA application on commercially grown paprika (Capsicum annuum L.) would increase yield and pigment Content. Plots were established in producer fields during the 1997 and 1998 growing seasons. Foliar spray treatments of 2-(3,4-dichlorophenoxy) triethylamine (DCPTA) as well as diethyl-2-(4-methylbenzoxy) ethylamine (MBTA) at concentrations of 0, 5, 7, 10, and 15 mg.L-1 were applied to seedlings in 1997 and foliar spray treatments of MBTA at 0. 7, and 10 mg·L-1 were applied to seedlings in 1998. Nested treatments of a plant growth enhancer (PGE) were also applied in 1998. The 7 mg·L-1 MBTA treatment resulted in a 822.2 kg·ha-1 (23.2%) yield increase in 1997 and in a 670.0 kg·ha-1 (27.7%) yield increase in 1998 over untreated controls. The 7 mg·L-1 DCPTA treatments resulted in a 565.6 kg·ha-1 (15.9%) yield increase over untreated controls in 1997. The 1998 PGE treatment resulted in an average 330 kg·ha-1 (12.8%) yield increase. Fruit pigment content was also improved significantly {p < 0.05) by certain STA treatments. STA application appears to be efficacious in commercial production paprika. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Commercially available plant growth regulators (PGR) and plant growth enhancers (PGE) may be used to increase crop productivity and improve fertilizer and water use efficiency. Little independent field-scale research has been conducted concerning the benefit of these materials in actual production systems. This study was initiated to determine the efficacy of foliar PGR and PGE application in the production of paprika and cayenne cultivars of pepper (Capsicum annuum L.). Three PGRs and one PGE were foliarly applied to several production pepper fields in the Pecos River valley of southeastern New Mexico during the 1997 and 1998growing seasons. The Reagan loam (fine-silty, mixed, superactive thermic Ustic Haplocalcid) soils were furrow irrigated with artesian groundwater, and individual replicated treatment blocks were a minimum 0.5 ha in size. All peppers were hand harvested. The paprika peppers were dried to constant weight, yields were determined, and paprika pigment extracts were analyzed spectrometrically. In 1997 and 1998, yield was increased by 15.1 to 24.2% in plants treated with some PGRs. PGE treatment resulted in significant paprika yield increases in 1997 and 1998 and a significant yield increase in cayenne in 1997, but did not have a significant effect on paprika pigment content. The results indicated that foliar application of PGRs and PGEs to pepper cultivars can enhance yields in commercial production fields. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]