Effect of microbial biostimulants on seedlings and fruits of jalapeño pepper ( Capsicum annuum L.) produced in macrotunnel

The intensive use of chemical fertilizers has caused environmental pollution and public health problems. A strategy that guarantees nutrient use efficiency with reduced rates of synthetic fertilizers is the use of microbial biostimulants. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of three microbial biostimulants on jalape & ntilde;o pepper seedlings and fruits under protected macrotunnel conditions. The treatments evaluated were: 1) Genifix (R) , 2) Trichoderma , 3) Bio-Terra (R) , and 4) control. For the seedling evaluation, 40 seeds per treatment were germinated. The response variable was taken 29 days after sowing, which was the dry weight of the seedling and root. A randomized complete block design with four replications (blocks) was used for the fruit evaluation, with six bell pepper plants in each block. The response variables were weight, equatorial, and polar diameter of 20 fruits taken at random. Macrotunnel production in weight of total fruit per cut and per block was also considered. The Genifix (R) product produced seedlings with higher dry weight, with an average increase of 39.9 % in seedlings and 40.8 % in roots. Genifix (R) and Trichoderma had a significant effect on fruit weight and equatorial diameter. In production, Genifix (R) and Trichoderma biostimulants showed the best results. In conclusion, the use of the evaluated biostimulants presents an effective option to enhance the quality and yield of jalape & ntilde;o peppers while minimizing the need for extensive fertilization in the crop .