USE OF INDUSTRIES BYPRODUCT AS AN ALTERNATIVE LIQUID FERTILIZER IN SOILLESS CULTURE AND ITS EFFECT ON SWEET PEPPER

There is a gaining interest in reducing the production cost of agricultural crops. Salt industries byproduct (SIB) can reduce production cost as it is a cheaper fertilizer source. SIB is the effluent of salt industries. But there is no research on its effects in agricultural crop production in Bangladesh. Therefore, it is important to identify the dose of SIB in sweet pepper/capsicum in Bangladesh. In this study, growth and yield parameters in sweet pepper by applying different doses of SIB were investigated. Five concentrations of salt industries byproduct (SIB) are considered as treatments, viz. S1 = ¾ strength Rahman and Inden (2012) + 0 ml.L-1 SIB, S2 = ¾ strength Rahman and Inden (2012) + 0.25 ml.L-1 SIB, S3 = ¾ strength Rahman and Inden (2012) + 0.5 ml.L-1 SIB, S4 = ¾ strength Rahman and Inden (2012) + 0.75 ml.L-1 SIB and S5 = ¾ strength Rahman and Inden (2012) + 1.0 ml.L-1 SIB. Different concentrations of salt industries by product showed significant variation in most of the parameters. The highest plant height, the maximum number of fruit/plants, individual fruit weight, fruit length, fruit diameter, fruit volume, and yield were found highest in S3. But all the parameters were drastically reduced when S5 treatment was applied. Therefore, S3 treatment can be used for sweet pepper cultivation in soilless culture system in Bangladesh.