Effects of Water Deficit on the Dynamics of Flowering and Fruit Production in Capsicum chinense Jacq in a Tropical Semiarid Region of Venezuela

The degree of crop sensitivity to water deficit, during the different developmental stages of a plant, is an important aspect to consider in tropical semiarid regions. The effect of water deficit on flowering dynamics and fruit production of sweet pepper (Capsicum chinense) was evaluated under several water regimes, during three consecutive years. A complete randomized block design with three replicates was employed. Flowering dynamics and fruit production were measured weekly, and water potentials were obtained twice during the experiments. For all years, flowering began at approximately 70 days after transplanting. In the most favourable year (trial 1996), there were no differences in total flower and fruit production in terms of irrigation frequency. For the other less favourable years, flowering and fruit production were significantly different between irrigation frequencies. Our results show that low water availability, prior to flowering, reduces the number of flowers produced and retards the occurrence of maximum flowering. On the other hand, a water deficit during the period between flowering and fruit development reduces final fruit production. This suggests that a water deficit during this last stage affects final yield to a greater extent.