1. Module V: Chili Pepper Plant Nutrition Unit 2: Phosphorus Nutrition Lesson 2: Importance of Primary Nutrients After completing this Unit, you will be able to answer: 1.What is the role of phosphorus in plants? 2.How phosphorus application is important for chili pepper crop? 3.Why entire phosphorus application is applied as basal dose? 4.What is the method of phosphorus application to chili pepper? 5.Which potassic fertilizer is useful to chili pepper crop and why?

2. Module V: Chili Pepper Plant Nutrition Unit 2: Phosphorus Nutrition Lesson 2: Importance of Primary Nutrients Phosphorus is essential to provide energy for the growth and development of chili pepper plants. Phosphorus is to a plant what wheels are for a car. As a car cannot run on flat tire even if the petrol tank is full, without phosphorus plant cannot grow even nitrogen supply is in plenty. Phosphorus availability helps in increased efficiency of nitrogen use by plants.

3. Module V: Chili Pepper Plant Nutrition Unit 2: Phosphorus Nutrition Lesson 2: Importance of Primary Nutrients Chili pepper plants take phosphorus from seedling stage up to grain filling stage. So, phosphorus should be available to plants through out their growth. Also, phosphorus uptake was found to increase with increased availability of nitrogen. Many soils in chili pepper -growing areas in India have shown to be deficient in phosphorus.

4. Module V: Chili Pepper Plant Nutrition Unit 2: Phosphorus Nutrition Lesson 2: Importance of Primary Nutrients About 80-200 Ib of phosphorus (P 2 O 5 )/acre has been recommended for different chili pepper-growing regions in India. However, it is a good practice and also economical to apply phosphorus based on soil- test recommendations. Entire phosphorus (P 2 O 5 ) should be applied at the time of sowing along with nitrogen fertilizer as phosphorus is not lost due to leaching.

5. Module V: Chili Pepper Plant Nutrition Unit 2: Phosphorus Nutrition Lesson 2: Importance of Primary Nutrients Furrow placement or side dressing is the best method of phosphorus application in the soil. This method of application minimizes the fixation of phosphorus in the soil. Phosphorus fixation means unavailability of phosphorus for plants’ use. Furrow placement

6. Module V: Chili Pepper Plant Nutrition Unit 2: Phosphorus Nutrition Lesson 2: Importance of Primary Nutrients Side Dressing of phosphorus fertilizer

7. Module V: Chili Pepper Plant Nutrition Unit 2: Phosphorus Nutrition Lesson 2: Importance of Primary Nutrients Chili pepper seedlings are sensitive to fertilizer burn. Do not apply fertilizer in the furrow with the seedlings nor over the row after transplanting. Single super phosphate is a good source of phosphorus as it also contains calcium (19.5%), sulfur (12.5%) in addition to phosphorus (16%). Super phosphate also contains zinc and magnesium in traces.

8. Module V: Chili Pepper Plant Nutrition Unit 2: Phosphorus Nutrition Lesson 2: Importance of Primary Nutrients With this, the Unit 2 on Phosphorus Nutrition in this Lesson concludes. The next Unit in this Lesson is about potassium nutrition in chili pepper. Select Unit 3 in Lesson 2 from Module V contents