Evaluation of Different Shade House Covering for the Growth and Reproductive Performance of Bell Peppers (Capsicum annuum L.) in Guyana

Rameshwar Raghunauth

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  • Abstract
  • Shade house covering materials such as ultra low-density polyethylene (ULDPE) plastic and shade nets are currently employed in shade house cultivation worldwide to improve plant growth, quality, and production of bell peppers. This field trial was conducted on the NAREI Demonstration Farm, Mon Repos, East Coast Demerara during the wet season to evaluate the effects of plastic and shade nets on the growth and yield of bell pepper. The plot was arranged according to the Randomized Complete Block Design with six treatments: T1 (no net control), T2 (black shade net), T3 (green shade net), T4 (ULDPE plastic), T5 (black net + ULDPE plastic) and T6 (green net + ULDPE plastic) and replicated three times. Treatment 6 significantly improved the vegetative parameters for sweet pepper plants such as plant height and plant spread when compared to other treatments. The yield of sweet pepper was considerably enhanced when cultivated under treatment 6 and treatment 5 during the wet periods. Treatment 6 recorded the highest mean yield of 38.8 tons/ha followed by treatment five with a yield of 32.8 tons/ha. The unshaded control achieved the lowest yield of 6.6 tons/ha than the other treatments. Shade houses covered with nets and plastic had better microclimatic conditions which resulted in increased crop growth and higher productivity during the wet season. Therefore, sweet pepper can be cultivated throughout the year inside ULDPE plastic and net shade houses to ensure availability, particularly during peak season. Concurrently, with greater discretionary income, farmers' livelihoods will improve, and imports of this commodity will be dramatically reduced. Future construction of shade houses may consider the use of ULDPE plastic and nets, especially for sweet pepper cultivation. Keywords: Pepper performance, Capsicum annuum, Shadehouse covering, Guyana
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  • Oct 16, 2025
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  • Copyright (c) 2025 Rameshwar Raghunauth
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.