GROWTH, AND YIELD CHARACTERISTICS AS WELL AS PESTS AND DISEASES SUSCEPTIBILITY OF CHILI PEPPER (Capsicum annuum L.) UNDER DIFFERENT PLANT DENSITIES AND PRUNING LEVELS.

The field experiments were conducted at Indonesian Vegetable Research Institute (IVEGRI) West Java, Indonesia during the period of July 2018 to February 2019. The objective of the study was to determine the effect of three plant densities (20,000, 30,000 and 40,000 plants ha^-1 ) and four stem pruning levels (control, 3 stems, 4 stems, and shoot pruning) on growth and yield parameters as well as pest and diseases incidences for chili pepper. Split plot experiment was performed using a randomized block design with three replications. The recommended cultural practices were done for better crop growth and good yields. Results showed no interactions between plant density and pruning for any of the variables measured. Chili pepper growth, yield, and quality and incidence of pest and diseases can be effectively manipulated by plant density and pruning. Increasing of plant population from 20,000 to 30,000 plants ha1 resulted in the increased of total fruit yield to 52.58%, however, total fruit yield declined up to 34.09% at 40,000 plant/ha. Pruning significantly affected fruit yield from 4.65 to 20.33%. Shoot pruning produced higher number of branches, and resulted in maximum yield per ha-1 due to higher number of shoots contributing to the production of more number of fruits. Growing chili pepper at a density of 30,000 plant ha-1 was better than the conventional methods, and it combination with shoot pruning in nurseries could be used as an alternative method to increase the production of chili pepper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]