(193) Yield and Quality of Six Bell Pepper Varieties in Sonora, Mexico
Bbell pepper (Capsicum annum L.) production is an appropriate alternative for the northeastern Sonora, México (Magdalena River). Because of the fresh temperature conditions of this region, production is possible in spring and summer. However, it is necessary to have appropriate varieties with a high potential for quality and yield under these conditions. The objective of this research was to evaluate the yield and quality of six varieties of bell pepper. The evaluation was carried out at the INIFAP-CIRNO Experimental Station (Magdalena of Kino, Sonora) in Spring 2002 under field conditions. The evaluated varieties were: `Baron', X3R Wisar, PS 236894, `Bamoa', `Admiral', and `Navolato'. The date of seedling transplant was 29 Mar. in furrows with 1 m of separation and 0.33 m between plants under a drip-irrigation system. In the trials, we used a completely randomized design with four replications. The measured variables were yield and fruit weight. The harvest period was 26 June to 23 Aug. The results indicated that the highest yields were obtained from: `Baron', X3R Wisard, and PS 236894 with 43.2, 42.3, and 38.8 t·ha-1, respectively, and the lowest yields obtained were from `Admiral' and `Navolato', with 33.3 and 30.0 t·ha-1, respectively. The highest fruit weights corresponded to PS 236894 and X3R Wisard with 145 and 140 g, respectively.