Abstract

The amount of water needed to meet the water requirement of crops and use of alternative organic substrates affect the development of the plants’ nutrients. The objective of this research is to evaluate the cultivation of pepper (Capsicum chinense) under different organic substrates and irrigation levels with supply water and wastewater. The experiment was conducted in a greenhouse at Campina Grande, Paraíba, Brazil. Biquinho BRS Moema pepper species was used. The experimental design was randomized block in a factorial design of 2 x 5 x 2. Two types of water (water supply and wastewater) and five water levels (L) were used based on the water requirement (WR) of the crop as follows: 100% WR (L5), 80% WR (L4), 60% WR (L3), 40% WR (L2) and 20% WR (L1); and two kinds of substrates (caprine and bovine) were also used, all in three replicates with two plants each. The germination percentage for bovine substrate averaged 44%, while for the caprine substrate, it was 18%. 24% increase in the number of leaves at level 4 was compared with that of level 5, where there was 20% reduction of WR of the plant. The pepper "Biquinho" irrigated with wastewater had better average, making it an alternative for irrigation. For the growth of pepper, it is not suitable to use irrigation values less than 40% of the water requirement for culture, because it influences negatively the development of the culture. For pepper, the ideal irrigation level is 80% of water requirement.

Key words: Water reuse, water demand, BRS Moema.