Effects of Different Concentrations of Organic Waste on Selected Traits of Individuals Capsicum Chinense Jacq.

Abstract

At present, excessive waste production makes it necessary to carry out research aimed to minimize the problems arising from waste generation and inadequate disposal. In this sense, this study aimed to analyze plant growth, fruit production, antioxidative enzyme activities and organic solute contents in fruits of Capsicum chinense Jacq. plants (BRS Moema cultivar) growing in substrates with different concentrations of municipal organic solid waste (MW) or shrimp waste (SW) under greenhouse conditions. A completely randomized design was used with seven treatments (control; MW at 50, 100 and 200% of recommendation; and SW also at 50, 100 and 200%) and five replications. The MW and SW were mixed with the soil. When plants already had fruits, 122 days after sowing (DAS), shoot height, stem diameter and number of leaves were determined, and 134 DAS, the visibly ripe fruits were collected and stored at -20 °C for subsequent biochemical analysis. The MW and SW provided a linear increase in the parameters of shoot height, stem diameter and number of leaves. The numbers of fruits in the treatments were quite variable, but it can be concluded that the MW 200 and SW 100 treatments provided higher fruit production. The best results for the activities of catalase (CAT), ascorbate peroxidase (APX) and guaiacol peroxidase (GPX) in the fruits occurred in the MW 100 and SW 200 treatments. Both provided an increase in CAT and reductions in APX and GPX, which can contribute to greater postharvest life of C. chinense Jacq. fruits. In relation to soluble protein and carbohydrate contents, the MW 100 and SW 100 treatments did not contribute to their increase; in the other residue concentrations, the results were variable. However, considering all parameters analysed in this study, the most suitable treatments would be MW 100 and SW 100. Therefore, the results demonstrate the susceptibility of using substrates with MW and SW in the cultivation of C. chinense Jacq. plants.