Pilot Study of Eco-Physiological Pepper Responses to Starfish-Based Organic Soil Amendments in Open-Field and Greenhouse Cultivations

Abstract

This pilot study was conducted to compare eco-physiological responses to starfish (SF)-treated red peppers (Capsicum annuum L.) in organic open-field (OF) and greenhouse (GH) cultivations in commercial farmhouses, South Korea in 2019. Treatments included starfish-liquid fertilizer (LF) applied in OF (SF-OF) and GH (SF-GH) plots, and SF + seaweed in OF (SFS-OF) and GH (SFS-GH). Weekly pH levels in SFS-LF were fluctuated for a 16-week storage period at room temperature due to having higher soluble salt levels than those of SF-LF. All experimental plots were ranged on soil pH between 7.1 and 7.4. SF- and SFS-GH plots resulted in increased soil electrical conductivity, organic matter, and increased concentrations of total nitrogen, phosphorous pentoxide, potassium oxide, and magnesium oxide, as well as exhibiting a richer and more diverse bacterial community. Leaf width and length and plant height increased in plants cultivated in GH, with low canopy width and stem diameter also observed to have increased. Total fruit yields were approximately two times higher for peppers cultivated in GH compared to OF cultivated peppers.