ABSTRACT
Nigeria’s bell pepper yields are low when compared to developed nations. This is most likely owing to a dearth of widely available high-yielding, enhanced pepper varieties. To ascertain this, study was carried out to investigate the relationships between growth parameters and fruit yield in sweet pepper plants grown at two locations (BUK and Bunkure) during the 2018 rainy season. Correlation analysis revealed strong, highly significant (p<0.001), and positive associations between plant height, number of leaves, branches, leaf area, dry matter content, and number of fruits per plant with fruit yield per hectare at both locations. Additionally, a positive correlation was found between plant height and leaf area, suggesting taller plants have larger leaves. Larger leaf area was linked to higher fruit yield, potentially due to increased light capture for photosynthesis. According to the findings, enhancing vegetative growth using suitable farming methods may be a tactic to increase sweet pepper fruit output. With a focus on separating variables into their direct and indirect effects on fruit output, encouraging healthy vegetative growth through appropriate agricultural methods may be one way to increase sweet pepper fruit yield, according to the correlations that have been identified. Additionally, the number of fruits per plant emerged as the most significant direct contributor to fruit yield at both locations. Therefore, in breeding efforts aimed at increasing sweet pepper productivity, the characteristics that have the greatest impact on fruit yield could be prioritized.
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