A COMPARISON OF YIELD AND VITAMIN C CONTENT OF A LOCAL AND THREE HYBRID PEPPER CULTIVARS UNDER A PLASTIC TUNNEL

Four ʹcultivars of pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) (three hybrids namely ʹBelcoln F1ʹ, ʹPredi F1ʹ and ʹCsa ʹvo ʹzott F1ʹ and a local cultivar) were compared for yield and vitamin C contents, under a plastic tunnel in the humid climatic condition of Guilan province, Iran. This experiment was arranged in a complete randomized block design with four replications. The hybrid cultivars showed a 10 to 30 % increase in early yield, as compared to the local cultivar, however, the differences were not significant. In the beginning of the summer, when the plastic covering of the tunnel was removed, the local cultivar started to compensate its delay in yield and showed a better production rate as compared to ʹPredi Flʹ hybrid. The local cultivar showed a 25% increase in yield (P<0.05) compared to hybrid cultivars. The overall production rate at the end of the experiment showed that the local cultivar can be cultivated under plastic tunnel conditions without significant difference in yield as compared with the hybrids. The local cultivar showed a higher vitamin C content than the hybrids. The vitamin C content of the local cultivar was twice in comparison to ʹCsaʹvoʹzott Flʹ hybrid (P<0.01).