Effect of plant density and nutrient management on growth of Chilli (Capsicum annuum L.)

During the 2024–2025 rabi season, a field experiment titled \"Effect of plant density and nutrient management on growth of Chilli (Capsicum annuum L.)\" was conducted at the All India Coordinated Research Project (AICRP) on Vegetable Crops research farm at Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology (OUAT), Bhubaneswar, Odisha. It used a split plot design with two replications and fifteen different treatments with varying levels of plant density and fertiliser dosages to examine the growth of chilli. Three main plot factors (S1: 70 cm × 40 cm, S2: 50 cm × 50 cm, and S3: 50 cm × 30 cm) and five subplot factors (F1: 150:75:75 NPK kg ha-1, F2: 100:25:50 NPK kg ha-1, F3: 120:80:80 NPK kg ha-1, F4: 90:45:45 NPK kg ha-1, and F5: 100:100:100 NPK kg ha-1) were used in the treatments. Among growth measures, such as plant height (86.7 cm), number of primary branches (6.6 cm), flowering parameters, such as days to initial flowering (38.5 DAT), and yield-attributing data, such as fruit length (7.2 cm) and fruit girth (4.5 cm), the results showed a significant impact of spacing (50 cm × 50 cm) and dry fruit yield per plot (1.37 kg) Fertiliser dose results showed that (150:75:75 NPK kg ha-1) significantly affected growth parameters, including plant height (94.3 cm), plant spread in N-S direction (3.9 cm), number of primary branches (8.5), leaf area (24.1 cm2), earliest 50% flowering (54.3 DAT), and yield attributes, including fruit length (7.2 cm), fruit girth (4.5 cm), highest number of fruits plant-1 (87.8), highest fresh fruit weight (5.2 g), and seeds fruit-1 (49.9) and dry fruit yield (1.4 kg) per plot. Plant height (102.7 cm), plant spread E-W (35.6 cm) and N-S (36.8 cm), number of primary branches (9.7), and flowering parameters (earliest initial and 50% flowering at 31.6 DAT and 52.1 DAT, respectively) were all best performed when 50 cm × 50 cm spacing was combined with 150:75:75 NPK kg ha-1. The following yield features were also observed under this treatment combination: fruit length (8.1 cm), fruit girth (4.8 cm), seed count (55.1), and highest fruits plant-1 (96.6) and dry fruit yield per plot (1.5 kg).