1. After completing this Unit, you should be able to answer: 1.What is the role of nitrogen in the growth and development of chili pepper plants? 2.Do chili pepper crop requires high dose of applied nitrogen? 3.Why a starter dose of nitrogen application is important for chili pepper crop? 4.What should be the basis to top dress with nitrogen for chili pepper crop? Module V: Chili Pepper Plant Nutrition Unit 1 : Nitrogen Nutrition Lesson 2: Importance of Primary Nutrients

2. Module V: Chili Pepper Plant Nutrition Unit 1 : Nitrogen Nutrition As with other crop plants, nitrogen plays an important role for good growth and development of chili pepper. Nitrogen is to a plant what petrol is to a car. Nitrogen drives plant growth which stops when plants run out of nitrogen. Lesson 2: Importance of Primary Nutrients

3. Module V: Chili Pepper Plant Nutrition Lesson 2: Importance of Primary Nutrients Unit 1 : Nitrogen Nutrition Nitrogen to some extent controls the efficient utilization of phosphorus and potassium. Nitrogen availability to plants is reflected in dark green color of stems and leaves, and vigorous growth. Chili pepper well supplied with Nitrogen

4. Module V: Chili Pepper Plant Nutrition Unit 1 : Nitrogen Nutrition Lesson 2: Importance of Primary Nutrients Chili pepper uptakes maximum nitrogen during the 5- leaf stage until flowering (Fig.). This is the stage is when plants turn from vegetative growth to early reproductive stage and plants initiate flowers and determine the number of potential fruits. Yield potential is established at this time. Deficiency of nutrients and/or moisture will reduce yields drastically.

5. Module V: Chili Pepper Plant Nutrition Unit 1 : Nitrogen Nutrition Lesson 2: Importance of Primary Nutrients Applying nitrogen is essential for acceptable yields. In light soils (sandy loams) the applied nitrogen may be lost due to leaching with heavy rains (Fig.). So, only about half of the recommended nitrogen dose should be applied at seedbed preparation.

6. Module V: Chili Pepper Plant Nutrition Unit 1 : Nitrogen Nutrition Lesson 2: Importance of Primary Nutrients The remaining half of nitrogen dose is side dressed when the crop is 25 to 30 days old. On soils which do not leach easily like black soils, all of the nitrogen may be applied during seedbed preparation.

7. Module V: Chili Pepper Plant Nutrition Unit 1 : Nitrogen Nutrition Lesson 2: Importance of Primary Nutrients With this, the Unit 1 on Nitrogen Nutrition in this Lesson concludes. The next Unit in this Lesson is about phosphorus nutrition.