The response of sweet pepper plants submitted to water stress is little known. The search for inducing resistance to water stress (such as silicon fertilization) can be an important step to reduce the negative effects of this abiotic stress. Thus, the aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that silicon fertilization through foliar applications can mitigate the incidence of anomalies caused by water stress on fruit quality of sweet pepper. The experiment was carried out in a greenhouse at the experimental horticulture area of the Instituto Federal Goiano, câmpus Urutaí, Goiás state, Brazil. The experimental design was randomized complete blocks, in a 3x4 factorial design, with split plots in space, and three levels of silicon (0.0, 4.3, 8.6 kg ha-1) in the form of potassium silicate (K2SiO3) and four soil water tensions of approximately -15, -25, -35 and -45 kPa, totaling 12 treatments with four replications. Water levels in the soil for the production of sweet pepper cultivar Magali-R, ranged from sufficient supply of water to the drought and also intermediate values. Twenty one foliar applications of potassium silicate were used weekly throughout the experiment. Increased soil water tension and the absence of potassium silicate were correlated with the incidence of blossom-end in fruits. The incidence of scald in sweet pepper fruits was not influenced by any of the two studied factors. A total of 129 fruits of sweet pepper presented blossom-end rot and 70 fruit presented scald, representing 2.14% and 1.16% of total harvested fruit.
Capsicum annuum; water deficit; silicate fertilization; physiological anomalies
