Effect of Chemical Fertilizer and Compost on Soil Physicochemical Properties, Leaf Mineral Content, Yield and Fruit Quality of Red Pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) in Open Field

Nowadays, sustainable and environment-friendly agriculture has become an important issue all around the world, and repeated applications of mineral and/or organic fertilizer will probably affect mineral nutrient dynamics in soil in the long term but only a limited number of observations are available. This study was carried out to investigate whether there is any influence of different fertilizer management for red pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) cultivation on soil physicochemical properties, leaf mineral content, yield and fruit quality in the aspect of long-term practice in open field condition. NPK, NPK+compost, compost only, and unfertilized control plot were included in the treatments. The application of chemical fertilizer and/or compost repeated annually for 17 years from 1994 to 2011. Soil organic matter content was higher in compost treatments than in no-manure treatments. Available phosphate and the yield of red pepper were highest in NPK+compost treatment followed by NPK (chemical fertilizer), compost, and control. The results indicate that in the long term, nitrogen supply is still needed for increasing red pepper yield, but reduction in the use of chemical fertilizer could be also possible with the proper application of compost.