DOI : 10.26480/aedc.02.2025.70.75

ABSTRACT

This study was carried out in Godawari-11, Lalitpur in order to find out effect of pinching on yield and growth pattern in chilli (Capsicum annuum). For this, an experiment was conducted in an open field of Valley Krishi Campus, Chapagaun, Lalitpur. This experiment was carried out in a Simple Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) using chilli variety Bullet with three replications and seven treatments. The experiment results revealed significant impact of pinching on plant height, no. of branches, days to 50% flowering & fruiting, no. of flowers and fruits, yield per plot, number of fruits with no such significant impact on yield attributing traits like fruit length, width and weight. The highest plant height was observed in the control treatment, while the number of branches was greater in the double pinching treatments applied at 35 and 45 days after transplanting (DAT) followed by 30 & 40 DAT double pinching treatment. These treatments also resulted in delayed days to 50% flowering and fruiting but showed a higher number of flowers and fruits per plant. Yield per plot was significantly higher in the double pinched plants at 35 and 45 DAT, with the 30 and 40 DAT double pinching treatment showing comparable results. Furthermore, double pinching at 35 and 45 DAT, 30 and 40 DAT produced a higher number of fruits during harvest. Overall, double pinching at 35 and 45 DAT, followed by 30 and 40 DAT, demonstrated the most satisfying results in terms of yield, outperforming single pinching treatments and the control treatment. These findings showed double pinching treatments had better plant yield compared to other treatments, which concludes that delayed flowering and fruiting lead to improved yield compared to the control treatment.