FARMERS who used to get an average of 3,000 kilos (kg) of fresh Bontoc pepper from a one-hectare farm can now harvest 12,800 kg in one planting season alone.

That is if they follow the new irrigation and fertilization strategies for Bontoc pepper recommended by Dr. Dionisio Bucao, an MMSU researcher. Bontoc pepper is locally known as aruy-oy a sili.

Sold at a farmgate price of P20 per kilo, the potential yield can give a net profit of P226,356 after deducting the production cost of P29,644.

The profitability of the new production technology came about as a result of the researcher’s study on irrigation and nitrogen fertilization strategies conducted at the MMSU experimental farms.

In the experiment, Bucao tested the effects of three irrigation and fertilization strategies for Bontoc pepper and compared them with those practiced by Ilocos farmers.

Test plots were irrigated at 20, 30, 40, and 50 millimeter (mm) deep. Water was applied at 7, 11, and 15 days interval, respectively. Plants given 20, 30, 40, and 50 mm water were also subjected to 0, 70, 140, and 210 kg of nitrogen per hectare, respectively.

During the experiment setup, Bucao planted the Bontoc pepper seedlings in rows with a uniform distance of 40 centimeter (cm) x 60 cm from each other. Each plot was basally applied with 50 kg of phosphorus and potassium fertilizers. The application was done in three equal splits: at 14, 35, and 65 days after transplanting (DAT).

Results showed that plants applied with 210 kg of nitrogen and irrigated at 30 mm deep at seven days interval gave a yield of 12.8 tons (12,800 kg) per hectare.

Sold at a farmgate price of P20 per kilo, the substantial yield gave P256,000 gross income, or a benefit cost ratio (BCR) of 3.07 percent. This means that for every peso spent, a farmer gets P3.07 in return as profit.

The other irrigation and fertilization frequencies also gave substantial profit. For instance, the application of 210 kg of nitrogen and irrigation of 30 mm deep at 11 days interval gave a yield of 11,233 kg per hectare. This also gave a gross income of P224,660 and a net profit of P195,016 or a 3.13 percent BCR.

On the other hand, plants applied with 410 kg of nitrogen at 30 mm deep at 15 days interval gave a yield of 9,993 kg per hectare. This also gave a gross income of P199,860 and a net profit of P170,216 or 3.24 BCR.

Irrigation and fertilization strategies
To attain those yields, farmers should follow the furrow method of irrigating the crop. Apply water through small trenched or parallel channels running through the crop. The depth should be 30 mm, or 300,000 liters per hectare every irrigation period. Do this every 15 days.

The rate of fertilizer application should be 140-50-50 kg of NPK per hectare and applied in three splits. In the first application, 7.14 bags of 14-14-14 (complete fertilizer) at 14 days DAT should be used; second application, two bags of urea at 35 DAT; and third application, two bags of urea at 65 DAT.

In the first application, dibble the fertilizer at 5 cm away from the base of the seedlings. In the second and third applications, sidedress the fertilizer near the base of the plants before watering them.

Results showed that the application of 140 kg of nitrogen per hectare and watering at 30 mm deep at 15 days interval made the plants more efficient in using the applied nitrogen compared to those applied with 210 kg of nitrogen and watered at 30 mm deep at seven days interval.

In the Ilocos Region, Bontoc pepper is grown extensively under rainfed conditions. High yields are usually obtained in areas with total rainfall of 600 to 1,200 mm. The crop thrives well in light to medium-textured soils with pH of 5.5-7.0 and requires water ranging from 600 to 900 mm per season.

Bucao found in his study that the average yield of farmers in Ilocos Norte is only about 3 tons per hectare. Farmers in Batac, particularly, have an average produce of 4.10 tons per hectare. Some even obtain 9 tons per hectare.

According to him, the low yield of some farmers in the province can be attributed to the very close distance of planting. Farmers generally transplant Bontoc pepper seedlings in triple or quadruple rows spaced at 15 cm x 30 cm, thus, there is an intense competition for sunlight, water, and soil nutrients among the plants.

Ilocos farmers usually apply a very high rate of fertilizer at 584-156-156 kg of NPK per hectare, and irrigate their crop at weekly interval.

Bucao said this practice would allow the plant to attain its full potential but would result in substantial nitrogen loss by leaching. Leaching is a process by which nutrients, chemicals or contaminants are dissolved and carried away by water or moved into the lower layer of the soil.

“Nitrogen leaching does not only reduce the benefit derived from the application of fertilizer, but may also contaminate the groundwater resource in the long run,” Dr. Bucao warned.

This fact motivated the researcher to develop appropriate irrigation and fertilization management practices for the crop to increase profit, while preventing the groundwater from nitrate-nitrogen contamination.