Improvement of qualitative components and yield with the contribution of biological fertilizers in organic pepper production

Abstract

The European Green Directive includes a series of requirements in food production aimed at reducing the emission of gases that contribute to increased climate change, as well as standards that define products with high biological value. Awareness of the need to use health-safe food in nutrition is steadily growing. The aim of this research was to determine the effects of applying microbiological preparations – effective microorganisms (EM) in the form of the EM Aktiv preparation and Trichoderma spp. (Vital Tricho – VT preparation) – on the yield and quality of pepper fruits. The research was conducted in a protected environment in 2016, 2017, and 2018 using an organic cultivation system for the Blondy F1 pepper hybrid. The application of microbiological fertilizers included the following variants: T1 – control, T2 – EM preparation, T3 – VT preparation, T4 – EM + VT. The highest statistically significant results were obtained in treatment T4. Compared to the control, pepper yield increased by 28.38%, dry matter content by 14.05%, protein content by 28.04%, carbohydrate content by 7.16%, and vitamin C content by 10.22%. The use of these preparations makes it possible to achieve stable pepper production in organic systems, while adhering to all principles of sustainability and the production of health-safe fruits