AGRONOMIC PERFORMANCE OF CHILLI PEPPER GROWN IN LOWLAND AREA IN FOUR PLANTING TIMES OF CERCOSPORA LEAF SPOT

Abstract

Among the peppers Capsicum spp., a vegetable with significant economic and social importance for the world agribusiness, there is the chili pepper Capsicum frutescens, the most cultivated species in the Zona da Mata of Minas Gerais. Despite the adaptation to the prevailing edaphoclimatic conditions in the region, numerous factors have contributed to the low productivity of the vegetable, in which the occurrence of Cercospora leaf spot caused by Cercospora capsici stands out. The severity of Cercospora leaf spot on chili peppers was investigated at four planting times in the field, in a lowland area. Disease severity was evaluated in 10 leaves of each third of three plants per plot. Disease progress curves were plotted and the epidemics compared against the total severity at the end of the cycle and the area under the disease progress curve (AACPD). Yield and fruit weight at harvest were also evaluated. No significant differences were observed between severity and AACPD values ??between the four planting times during the 280 days of field cultivation. In lowland areas, the transplanting of chili peppers in August provides productivity of up to 10,640 kg/ha, even in the presence of the disease.