SCIENTIA

HORTlCULTURR
ELSEVIER ScientiaHorticulturae61 (1995) 285-290

Short Communication

Response of three sweet pepper cultivars to Biozyme

under unheated plastic house conditions
Sayed Fathey El-Sayed
Vegetable Crops Department, Faculty ofAgriculture, Cairo University,Cairo, Egypt

Accepted2 1 September1994

Abstract

Two experiments were carried out in an unheated plastic house to study the response of
three pepper (Cupsicum annuum L. ) cultivars, i.e. ‘Blemont’, ‘Domino’ and ‘Atol’, to Bio-
zyme, applied at 0, 1 and 2 ml 1-i at flower initiation followed by two sprays at an interval
of 21 days. Biozyme is an extract of vegetable origin that contains, in ppm, 32.2 indole-
acetic acid (WA), 32.2 GAS, 83.2 zeatin, 4900 Fe, 1200 Mn, 3000 B, 3700 Zn, 1400 Mg
and 4400 S. Results indicated that ‘Blemont’ was the best cultivar regarding the number
of early and total fruits, weight of total yield, while cv. ‘Atol’ gave the highest values of
early yield, average fruit weight, and ascorbic acid in fruits. Two millilitres of Biozyme
gave the best results with regard to height and weight of plants, number and weight of total
fruits, and ascorbic acid in fruits. However, the highest average of fruit weight was pro-
duced by 1 ml Biozyme. Generally, Biozyme significantly increased early yield compared
with untreated plants with no significant differences between the two concentrations used.

Keyworuk:Biozyme;Cultivars;Pepper;Unheated plastichouse

1.Intruductlon

In Egypt, sweet pepper (Capsicum annuum L. ) is grown in plastic houses for

early production during the period from December to April for export and con-
sumption. These plastic houses are simple and do not have environmental con-
trol. Fluctuations in temperature and humidity are therefore large and frequently
extend beyond the suitable range for plant growth and fruit set and development.
The average minimum and maximum temperatures of 199 1- 1992 and 1992- 1993
measured in unheated plastic house were 9.8”C and 28.2”C in December, 7.7”C
and 24.7”C in January, 9.1 “C and 28.1 “C in March, respectively. It was previ-

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286 S.F. El-Sayed /Scientia Horticulturae 61 (1995) 285-290

ously proved that the optimal fruit set in pepper was obtained at 12- 16’ C (Coch-
ran, 1936). Fruit development at low temperatures may be influenced by pollen
infertility (Polowick and Sawhney, 1985 ). More recently, Olarewaju ( 1989) re-
ported that almost all pepper fruits formed at 5 and 10°C were parthenocarpic,
and were generally small and malformed.
After Gustafson ( 1936) discovered that auxins were effective in fruit set of
tomato, pepper, eggplant and okra, numerous compounds were tested on fruit set
of pepper such as GA3 (Patil et al., 1985; Zayed et al., 1985; Siviero, 1989),
GA3 +morphactin (Zayed et al., 1985) and microelements (Kiss, 1979; El-Ab-
deen and Metwally, 1982).
The objective of the present work was to study effect of a biostimulant complex
containing indoleacetic acid (WA), GA3, zeatin, Fe, Mn, B, Zn, Mg and S on the
vegetative growth and yield of three sweet pepper cultivars grown under un-
heated plastic house conditions.

2. Materials and methods

Two experiments were carried out during the winter seasons of 199 1 and 1992
in the plastic houses of the Experimental Station, Faculty of Agriculture, Cairo
University, Egypt.
Seeds of three sweet pepper hybrids, ‘Blemont’, ‘Domino’ (from Asgrow Co.,
USA) and ‘Atol’ (from EZ Co., Holland) were sown in 84 Speedling trays on 16
and 19 September 199 1 and 1992. The plants were transplanted on 11 and 16
December 199 1 and 1992, on double rows 140 cm wide with a spacing of 50 cm
between plants. This achieved a plant density of 2.5 plants mm2. The experiments
were arranged in a split-plot design in three replicates. The three pepper cultivars
represented the main plots, while the concentrations of Biozyme represented the
subplots. Biozyme, which was obtained from Bioenzymas (S.A. de C.V. Co.,
Mexico), is an extract of vegetable origin that contains (in ppm) 32.2 IAA, 32.2
GAS, 83.2 zeatin, 4900 Fe, 1200 Mn, 3000 B, 3700 Zn, 1400 Mg and 4400 S.
Biozyme was applied as a foliar spray on plants three times during the flowering
stages at 2 1 day intervals starting at flower initiation (65 days after transplant-
ing). Biozyme was used at concentrations of 0, 1 and 2 ml 1-l distilled water.
Triton B at 0.05% was used as a wetting agent for all treatments and control.
Irrigation and nutrient supply was provided via a drip system. Fertigation, train-
ing and pest control were followed as commonly practiced for pepper production
under unheated plastic house conditions.
Data were recorded on vegetative growth (height and fresh weight of plants)
at the end of growing season, early yield m-’ (number and weight of fruits in the
first three pickings), total yield me2 as number and weight of fruits throughout
the harvesting season (eight pickings), and chemical content of fruit at the fourth
picking (total soluble solids percentage using hand refractometer and ascorbic
acid using the method described by the Association of Official Agricultural
 S.F. El-Sayed /Scientia Horticulturae 61(1995) 285-290 287

Chemists ( 1965 ). All data were statistically analyzed using combined analysis as
described by Snedecor and Cochran ( 1967).

3. Results and discussions

3. I. Vegetative growth

Data presented in Table 1 show that plants of cv. ‘Atol’ were significantly taller
than those of ‘Blemont’ and ‘Domino’. A significant increase in plant height was
achieved using Biozyme at both concentrations. A significant increase was also
detected in plant weight, but only by the higher concentration of Biozyme. These
results were expected since Biozyme is a complex of three growth stimulants (MA,
GA3 and zeatin) which promote stem elongation by increasing rate of cell divi-
sion and elongation (Weaver, 1972), and it contains microelements which have

Table 1
Effect of Biozyme concentrations on some morphological characters and early yield of three pepper
cultivars under unheated plastic house conditions (combined data of two seasons)

Cultivar Biozyme Morphological Early yield

cont. characters
(ml 1-r)
Plant Fresh Fruit Fruit Yield
height weight number weight (kg
(cm) (g) (m-*) (IZ) rnm2)

‘Blemont’ 0 79.90 674.70 25.60 107.00 2.737

1 92.50 675.00 34.00 122.00 4.149
2 100.00 795.90 41.90 102.00 4.27
Mean 90.80 715.20 33.80 110.30 3.719

‘Domino’ 0 79.90 662.00 19.60 123.00 2.404

1 90.00 675.00 27.90 94.00 2.615
2 105.00 775.00 23.90 126.00 3.006
Mean 91.70 704.20 23.80 114.30 2.675

‘At01 0 111.60 712.50 24.20 142.00 3.439

1 115.00 770.90 31.40 144.00 4.534
2 127.50 775.00 29.40 136.00 4.00
Mean 118.10 752.80 28.40 140.70 3.99

Mean 0 90.50 683.20 23.20 124.00 2.86

1 99.20 706.70 31.10 120.10 3.766
2 110.80 782.00 31.70 121.30 3.759

LSD at 0.05% for

cultivars (Cvs) 7.2 NS 2.2 3 0.317
Biozyme cont. 5.5 80 1.4 1.6 0.146
Cvs x cont. 14.1 NS 2.2 2.6 0.243
288 S.F. El-Sayed/Scientia Horticulturae61 ,(I995) 285-290

been identified as enzyme activators and are of importance for chlorophyll syn-
thesis (Bergmann, 1983).
The interaction between pepper cultivars and Biozyme was significant for plant
height only. Biozyme at 2 ml 1-l led to a significant increase in plant height of
each cultivar compared with the untreated plants.

3.2. Early yield

There were significant differences in average fruit weight and number and
weight of fruits m-’ among pepper cultivars (Table 1). ‘Blemont’ produced the
highest number of fruits that were the smallest in size. However, ‘Atol’ produced
a lower number of fruits that were of the largest size. These two cultivars pro-
duced significantly higher early yield than ‘Domino’. These results indicate that
there was a negative relationship between number of fruits produced by plant and
average fruit weight.
An increase in number and weight of fruits m-’ was recorded owing to Bio-
zyme application, though no significant differences were observed between both
concentrations. However, treating plants with Biozyme caused a significant de-
crease in average fruit weight. The interaction of Biozyme x cultivars was signif-
icant. Pepper cultivars responded differently to Biozyme concentrations. The
higher concentration of Biozyme of 2 ml l- ’ gave higher yield except in cv. ‘Atol’.
It was observed that ‘Blemont’, whose yield depends on production of high num-
ber of fruits, responded more to Biozyme application. However, the two concen-
trations of Biozyme significantly increased the number of fruits produced by each
of the three cultivars. Since the minimal temperature during fruit setting of early
fruits was 9°C in the present work, this indicates that under low temperatures,
Biozyme improved fruit set of pepper. Previous studies (Polowick and Sawhney,
1985) revealed that pepper pollen become infertile at low temperature. Mean-
while, GA3 application promotes anther development and increases the amount
of viable pollen (Mapelli et al., 1979) or reduces flower abortion when it is ap-
plied in combination with benzyladenine (Kinet, 1977). It was also found that
Biozyme at 1 ml l- ’ increased average fruit weight of ‘Blemont’ which produces
large number of small fruits, while 2 ml increased the number of fruits in ‘Dom-
ino’ which produces low number of fruits.

3.3. Total yield

Data presented in Table 2 show that ‘Blemont’ gave the highest total yield mm2.
‘Domino’ followed ‘Blemont’ in the number of fruits ms2, whereas ‘Atol’ signif-
icantly exceeded the other two cultivars in the average fruit weight.
Biozyme led, generally, to a significant increase in the number of fruits, average
fruit weight and total yield. However, the highest total yield and number of fruits
m-2 was produced by the higher concentration of Biozyme. The relatively high
minimum temperatures ( 12- 16 ‘C ) which prevailed during fruit set in most of
the harvesting season are considered optimal temperatures for fruit set (Cochran,
 SF. El-Sayed /Scientia Horticulturae 61 (1995) 285-290 289

Table 2
Effect of Biozyme concentrations on total yield and chemical contents of fruit of three pepper culti-
vat-s under unheated plastic house conditions (combined data of two seasons)

Cultivar Biozyme Total yield Chemical contents of fruit

cont.
(ml 1-r) Fruit Fruit Yield TSS Ascorbic acid
number weight (kg (%) (mg per 100 9)
(m-*) (g) m-2)

‘Blemont’ 0 93.30 100.10 9.342 5.40 117.30

1 93.50 111.30 10.409 4.90 184.70
2 101.90 104.80 10.681 4.60 192.30
Mean 96.20 105.40 10.144 5.00 164.80

‘Domino’ 0 77.20 100.40 7.751 5.60 188.30

1 87.50 109.50 9.581 5.30 167.50
2 92.90 109.10 10.139 5.10 189.50
Mean 85.90 106.30 9.157 5.30 181.80

‘Atol 0 64.00 121.90 7.802 5.30 144.00

1 71.50 133.30 9.531 5.30 255.50
2 86.20 124.50 10.73 5.00 307.80
Mean 73.90 126.60 9.355 5.20 235.80

Mean 0 78.20 107.50 8.298 5.50 149.90

1 84.20 118.00 9.84 5.20 202.60
2 93.70 112.80 10.517 4.90 227.80

LSD at 0.05% for

Cultivars (Cvs) 3.7 4.5 0.617 0.2 7.7
Biozyme cont. 4.4 3 0.432 0.2 7.6
Cvs x cont. 9.9 6.8 0.958 0.4 11.4

1936). Consequently, Biozyme was not as effective during this period as it was
for early yield. However, the lower concentration of Biozyme gave the highest
value of average fruit weight which is preferred for growers and consumers in
Egypt. As can be expected, fruit weight and number of fruits are negatively related.
Both concentrations of Biozyme significantly increased the number and aver-
age weight of fruits in ‘Domino’. In ‘Blemont’ and ‘Atol’ Biozyme at 1 ml l- ’
produced the highest fruit weight, whereas 2 ml l- ’ gave the highest fruit num-
bers in these cultivars. This increase in the number of fruits produced and/or the
average fruit weight led to a significant increase in total yield of all the three
cultivars. An increase in pepper yield was also previously recorded owing to an
increasing number of fruits per plant upon treating with Mg (Kiss, 1979),
IAA+NAA (Patil and Ballal, 1980), or NAA (Patil et al., 1985) or owing to
increasing average fruit weight after treating with Mn + Fe ( El-Abdeen and Met-
wally, 1982) or NAA (Patil et al., 1985).
290 S.F. El-Sayed /Scientia Horticulturae 61 (1995) 285-290

3.4. Chemical contents offruit

Data presented in Table 2 show that the differences among the three cultivars,
the concentrations of Biozyme, and the interaction between them were signifi-
cant. Cultivars may be classified in descending order according to fruit content
of ascorbic acid as follows: ‘Atol’, ‘Domino’ and ‘Blemont’. Raising the concen-
tration of Biozyme from 1 to 2 ml l- ’ led to a significant increase in ascorbic acid
content compared with the untreated plants. In spite of this increase in the nu-
trient value of fruits for the consumer, high yield is more important for the grow-
ers. Similarly, Patil et al. ( 1985 ) and Zayed et al. ( 1985 ) observed an increase
in ascorbic acid in pepper fruits by using NAA and GA3, respectively.
Both Biozyme concentrations decreased the total soluble percentage of the fruits.

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